Noire Jument, Blanc Cheval
by Shiny the Strange
Summary: Modern AU. One casual afternoon, Camilla's rather stagnant sexuality is rekindled when the beautiful Hinoka rides by her home on a white horse.
1. Noire Jument, Blanc Cheval

Alternate link on AO3 under the username Shiny_the_Strange.

* * *

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

Camilla yawned as she rolled out of bed. Quickly wrapping a robe around herself, she got up and opened the door.

"Good morning, sister," said Leo. "I hope I didn't wake you."

Camilla stifled back a yawn and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. Now, what brings my cute little brother to me this morning?"

"I can't find the key to the paddock. Do you know where it is?"

"Hmmm…perhaps it's somewhere in my room, I did use it last night." Camilla cocked her head slightly. "But…the paddock key? Where are you riding at this time of day?"

Leo grinned.

"Takumi's place."

"I see. One moment please," said Camilla. She turned went back into her room. A minute later, she returned with the key.

"I found it! But why not take the other car? And where will you let your horse stay while you're visiting your friend?"

Leo shrugged and accepted the key.

"It's faster this way. You know how long it takes to get near the city by car, with all those turns. Also, don't you remember? The horse trail was finally completed the other day. It goes straight past Takumi's house. Which, by the way, has a stable. His older sister is a rider too. That's where I'll be putting my horse."

Camilla giggled and put a hand to her forehead.

"Ah! Right! It's so early in the morning, I forgot. My precious little brother is always brilliant, no matter what time of day it is."

"Thank you, sister," said Leo. He walked over to the staircase and took a step down. "Well, it's about time I get going. I'll see you later."

"See you later, Leo- oh! And don't forget to feed the other horses, too!"

* * *

Once she heard the front door slam shut, Camilla wandered back into her room. It was too late to go back bed now, so she drew the curtains back and looked outside.

The sun gleamed as is rose over the trees, illuminating the azure sky. Thin and wispy cirrus clouds floated in from all directions.

Below, the verdant yellow-green lawn sprawled until it hit the road -about forty feet away from the front of the house. Xander had cut the lawn the day before, leaving the grass at a perfect length. Around the edge of the property, Camilla's various flowers bloomed. She was thankful to have a black, pointed fence around the property solely because it would deter the rare visitor from stepping on them. The paddock was to the left of the driveway, where one silver car sat. Along the outside of the fence ran the new horse trail, with two paths converging into it; one led from the forest, the other directly from the city.

Pleased at the idea of it being a mild day, Camilla opened the window. The cool breeze ruffled her hair as it tickled her face. She stripped her robe off, letting the wind lick her body before slipping into a pair of shorts and a tank top.

As the sound of clopping came from outside, Camilla gazed outside again. Leo rode his ebony horse out of the property and onto the trail, heading towards the city.

"I'll be waiting here for you when you get back."

* * *

 _I wonder how Elise is doing at school? Hopefully Xander didn't get stuck in traffic after driving her there_ , thought Camilla. She sat on her window's seat, photo album in her lap and tea on the table at her side. On the book's current page sat pictures of Camilla and her siblings, each standing beside their own horses. A smile stretched across her face, remembering how Leo's horse bucked him off the first time he tried to ride it.

Turning the page, Camilla's smile fell. In the photo stood she and her three siblings alongside one of their closest friends, Kamui. He was grinning, his arms wrapped around both Camilla and Elise. Despite being close, the family hadn't seen Kamui in years. Though he was more like another brother than anything else, Camilla missed him as if he were her lover.

 _Hopefully my cute Kamui is doing well too…I wonder when he'll finally visit us again. I miss those days when he and his friend Silas would come running in, after hearing I'd baked them cookies. Yes, those were the days…_

Yawning, Camilla stretched her body out along her seat and slid a pillow under her head. She placed the album on the table as she turned away from the light and closed her eyes.

* * *

The sound of hooves against dirt roused Camilla from her slumber.

"Ah, my precious brother is home!" She quickly rolled onto her other side and looked down at the trail, expecting so see her sibling come around the corner the next moment.

A white horse appeared instead. Its rider was a literal redhead, not a blonde like Leo. The rider wore a white scarf, flowing in the wind.

Horse and rider disappeared before Camilla had time to register anything else about them.

 _Right, even though it's new doesn't mean others don't know about the path…_

She stared at the direction the rider went for moment before shaking her head. Unsure of the time, she pulled out her phone.

 _Perhaps I should do the laundry before Xander and Elise come home._

* * *

"What is that, Leo?"

"This? It's a Tanabata lantern. Takumi gave it to me earlier today," said Leo. "You know, that Japanese festival? It's not coming for a while yet, but Takumi's younger sister made it for me."

Camilla grinned at the sight of the vermillion lantern.

"It's lovely! The Japanese sure have many wonderful festivals. You should hang it in the dining room."

"I just might do that," said Leo.

"Hmmm…you and Takumi have been friends since his family immigrated here, right?" said Camilla.

"Yes, sister. We've discussed this before."

"Well, next time you see him, tell him your big sister said thanks too!"

Leo chuckled.

"I will."

* * *

The next day was much like the first. Barring Leo studying quietly in his room, Camilla was alone again.

She sat in a rocking chair on the veranda. In her hand was a copy of _Gone with the Wind_ , about three-fourths completed.

 _People and the book itself may say Scarlett isn't beautiful, but I like her_ , thought Camilla. _I suppose I see some of myself in her._

Though she was entertained, Camilla spent most of her days in the home. Occasionally she would leave to buy groceries and other home supplies or visit her friends. Otherwise, she spent most of her free time doing things for her family. With Leo home from university, it often meant extra work. Even though she loved doing everything for her family, Camilla often craved the weekday afternoons when most of her family was out.

Taking a sip of her iced tea, she noticed a soft cantering sound coming from around the corner.

"Yah!"

Camilla dropped her drink, the glass and tea strewn all over the porch.

 _That was a loud shout!_

Around the corner came the redhead and the white horse from the day before.

Camilla quickly rose and ran across the lawn, reaching the fence as the dust behind the horse scattered high into the air. The rider was now off in the distance.

 _That shout was rather high pitched. I think that might've been a woman_ , thought Camilla.

Her eyes went wide, suddenly realizing that she'd have to clean the mess of glass and iced tea on the porch.

* * *

With the promise of another enjoyable afternoon, Camilla opened the garage. She looked over to where the beach umbrella and lawn chair leaned against the wall and smiled. Taking both items and setting them up in the middle of the lawn, Camilla quickly ran into the house. She returned with a glass of lemonade and a bottle of sunscreen.

Sunbathing had always been an enjoyable activity, especially when onlookers passed by. Camilla often fixated on her audience when this happened, looking them straight in the eye and giving a smirk. She would put suntan lotion in her hands, slowly slathering it up her legs, waiting for the stranger's reaction.

 _Of course, I have no strangers to tease while I'm out here in the middle of nowhere_. She quickly applied the lotion over her body and sat back on the chair.

Her lips curved upward as the sun warmed her skin. Something felt wrong, however.

 _Oh, yeah! Can't forget to put some lotion on top of these babies_ , thought Camilla. She sat up and grabbed the lotion, applying it to the top of her breasts.

As she was about to lay back down, something moved in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the source.

A fox was chewing her flowers.

In less than a second Camilla was on her feet, walking towards the animal.

"Hey! Get away from there!"

The fox quickly looked at her and ran to the flowers on the other side of the garden.

"No! Stop that! Shoo!" said Camilla. She ran over to where she lounged before and pulled the umbrella out of the ground, closing it and running straight for the fox.

"Get out of here!"

Camilla chased the fox, running down the driveway and onto the horse trail. The fox raced into the woods.

"Good riddance," said Camilla. She turned to re-enter the property when the woman with the white horse came at her.

"Whoa!" said the rider, pulling the horse's reins. The horse came to a complete stop, sending dust into Camilla's eyes. "Are you alright?"

Taking a step back onto the driveway, Camilla finally got a good look at the rider.

Now there was no doubt that she was a woman; her round hips and small breasts ensured that. Her face was unmistakably Asian –Japanese, Camilla thought- and her crimson hair went down to the top of her neck.

 _Well, well! I haven't seen a girl this cute in a long time!_ thought Camilla.

"…Hello?" said the woman.

Camilla shook her head, the woman's words knocking her out of her trance. She grinned, putting the umbrella into the ground and leaning on it.

"Well _hello_ there, cutie! I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

The woman's face momentarily turned as crimson as her hair.

"…Very well," said the woman. She turned to face the trail once more and raised her reins. "Yah!"

"Hold on a moment! What's your name- drat!" said Camilla, watching the woman disappear. "…At least she asked if I was okay."

She looked where the fox had ruined her flowers and sighed.

 _I suppose I'll have to clean them up, but…this is the third day in a row I've seen that girl. Does she always ride in the afternoon? Still, I wonder how she learned about this trail…_

She pulled the umbrella out of the ground and headed back to tan longer. Before she could put the umbrella back where it previously was, though, she hit a realization.

A new trail few knew about. A Japanese woman suddenly showing up three days in a row, starting with the day Leo rode to Takumi's house. Takumi's house, which housed a family of Japanese immigrants. His older sister was a rider. Camilla put the pieces together.

She dropped the umbrella and ran toward the house.

"Leo!"

* * *

"What is it, Camilla?" said Leo as he opened his door.

"Dear brother, what is the name of Takumi's older sister?"

"Given how long Takumi and I have known each other, I thought you'd never ask," said Leo. "Her name is Hinoka. Why are you asking about this now?"

"Hinoka…it's a very cute name," said Camilla. "You see, the same girl passed by our house for the third day in a row today. And I'm thinking this girl might be Hinoka."

Leo nodded as she explained her thoughts.

"Yes, that does sound like her. Did she have red hair?"

"Blazing red."

"Then I suppose it's relatively safe to say that the woman is Hinoka," said Leo. "I told her about the trail while I was visiting Takumi. She likes to take her horse Tianma out every day, so I figured telling her about the trail would be a welcome addition to her route."

"Well if that's the case, then it seems I can expect to see more of her," said Camilla.

"Sounds like you probably will," said Leo. "I believe she's around your age. Maybe you and her should have a chat someday."

"Thank you for telling me, Leo," said Camilla. "Sorry for interrupting my adorable little brother while studying. I'll see you later at dinner."

* * *

Camilla tossed and turned in bed that night, dreaming for most of the night.

She dreamt of a world where she and her family were royals, living in a towering castle. Instead of riding a horse, Camilla rode a dragon instead. Kamui was her younger brother, and he was forced to choose between his birth family and the Nohr family. Camilla nearly wept when Kamui chose to stay with Nohr.

The scene changed to Camilla opening the garage door and looking down. Before her was Leo and Takumi laying on a blanket, holding each other. Both men were smiling and staring, their chests touching. Camilla realized the two weren't wearing any pants.

Again the scene changed. Looking down and seeing herself in a lavender dress, Camilla looked around the coffee shop before realizing she was on a date.

Across from her sat Hinoka, her outfit no different from what she wore while riding. She smiled and held Camilla's hand.

Gazing into Hinoka's eyes, Camilla's heart fluttered. She reached her free hand out, held her partner's neck, leaned in…

Suddenly moaning, Camilla sat up in bed.

 _Oh my…I haven't had a dream like that in a long time._

She looked around and raised a hand to her forehead, feeling sweat.

 _Hinoka…you are a very cute woman. I want to learn more about you. Why did you trot off before I could talk to you?_

Shaking her head, Camilla fell back into bed. There were more important matters coming up.

She hoped the weather would still be good for her tea party with Belka and Luna.

* * *

"I'm so glad my adorable friends could make it today," said Camilla.

"You practically ordered us here," said Luna. "It's not like we're here because we want to be…"

"There's somewhere I need to go after this…" said Belka.

Camilla crossed her arms and huffed. She smiled and laughed a moment later.

"You're both so cold! But I'll forgive you because you're just too cute."

Belka and Luna looked at each other, then back at their host.

"Well…it's another beautiful day, and the good weather won't last forever," said Luna. "The lawn looks nice."

"And…it's been a while since all three of us have gotten together like this," said Belka. She took a sip of her tea.

"That's the spirit!" said Camilla, clasping her hands.

They chatted noisily, discussing what they'd been up to over during the past few months and their lives in general.

"I can't believe my cute little Belka is getting married in the fall," said Camilla. "And my adorable Luna…congrats on the engagement! I'm so happy for you both!"

Belka stared.

"So…how about you? Someone special…is your life? Aside from…you-know-who. I don't think he counts."

"Me? Oh, no," said Camilla. "You know me. I want to keep myself open until I find the perfect suitor!"

Truthfully, she simply hadn't met anyone that tickled her passion for quite some time. Though she enjoyed teasing, most of her attempts were just to fluster the other person.

Luna narrowed her eyes.

"Really? I don't believe that."

Camilla leaned back in her seat.

"The important thing here is that my adorable Luna is getting married."

"Don't avoid the question!" said Luna.

"H-hey…is someone coming?" said Belka. She looked to the horse trail.

Hinoka, riding on Tianma as usual, galloped past the property once again.

Camilla stood, knocking her chair over.

"…Is something the matter?" said Belka.

Putting her chair back into place, Camilla sat and said, "I'm fine. I was so taken in by our conversation that I forgot the beautiful Hinoka was riding by at this time."

Luna smirked.

"The beautiful Hinoka? So there is someone special in your life."

Camilla felt the heat rise in her face and turned away.

"Oh, no, she's just a very cute girl who's been riding by here for some days. I don't know anything about her, aside from how she clearly enjoys riding. She's probably Takumi's older sister, and if she is her name is most definitely Hinoka."

"Still…we can tell you're interested," said Belka. "You should talk to her."

Camilla looked back at her friends and grinned.

"Oh, you can count on me to chat her up at some point. I just need to look for a good opportunity. And I'm certain one will show itself soon enough, I just need to be patient."

* * *

"Checkmate," said Leo. He tapped his knight against Camilla's king, knocking it over.

"Ah! My smart little brother wins again!" said Camilla. Though she never won, it was still fun to play Leo in chess. It was enjoyable, sitting on the floor of Leo's room and spending time together on a rainy afternoon.

She took her remaining pieces off of the board.

"Well, I think I've had enough chess for now. We've played about eight rounds, and the rain still hasn't stopped."

"Alright," said Leo. "I was thinking we should take a break soon anyway."

They sat silently, listening to the downpour on the roof.

"So, do you play chess with Takumi?" asked Camilla.

"Sometimes. He's more used to the game of _shōgi_ , which is essentially Japanese chess. I haven't played him in either game, though, since that one time…"

Leo's cheeks turned crimson.

Camilla raised her eyebrow.

"And what time was that?"

Leo shook his head and stood. He picked up his phone and went to the door.

"Never mind. I need to use the washroom."

Camilla rose and followed Leo out of his room.

"I think I'll brew some tea, would you like me to bring you a cup when it's done?"

"No, but thank you, sister," said Leo as he entered the washroom. "Elise accidentally broke the lock this morning, so don't forget I'm in here and come barging in."

Camilla smirked as she ran downstairs. Only as her brother turned to enter the washroom did she notice how tight his pants had gotten.

As she put the kettle on the stove, Camilla noticed that the rain started to slow a little.

 _Perhaps I can sit out on the porch again and listen to the rain fall once this is done._

She ran upstairs to grab _Gone with the Wind_ and a towel before hurrying back down. When the kettle screeched, Camilla quickly poured herself a cup and went outside.

The veranda was soaked. Camilla expected this, wiping the table and rocking chair down with her towel.

"Perfect!" Throwing the towel to the side, she sat down and began to read.

Not three minutes later it began to pour again.

Camilla cringed as the water began to blow onto her, soaking her all over.

She looked at her sopping book and groaned. "I was so close to finishing, too!"

With a sigh Camilla collected her things and went back inside.

* * *

Once she changed into dry clothes, Camilla sat at her window seat with a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_.

 _I can't believe it. So close to finishing all thousand pages and my book gets soaked. I guess I'll go buy a new one after breakfast tomorrow._

She stared at the novel in her hands for a moment and placed it down beside her.

 _I can't do this. Not while the other story is still fresh in my mind._

Camilla pulled out her phone and checked the time. She rolled onto her side and looked out the window.

 _I suppose my beautiful redhead won't be coming by today in this weather._

Hinoka and her horse then appeared on the trail, right on cue.

"…What is this?" said Camilla. She sat and followed Hinoka with her eyes.

Hinoka was moving slightly slower than normal, but not so much that she wasn't gone in a flash as usual.

"She…she came even though it's pouring buckets out there," said Camilla. "So cute…"

 _Then again, Leo did say she goes out every day…that must include rainy days too. Wow, such devotion…_

"She's so strong, withstanding the rain like this," said Camilla. She picked a pillow up from the ground and wrapped her arms around it.

In her mind, Hinoka was sitting on her lap and soaked to the bone, thanks to the rain.

Hinoka's shirt was stuck to her skin, her breasts exposed through the fabric. They fit perfectly in Camilla's hands as she stroked them.

Camilla lied back and flipped her partner over to face her, pulling Hinoka's face between her breasts. She held her tight and stroked her hair. The feeling of Hinoka's breasts on her belly enflamed Camilla's loins, quivering at the feeling of her wet body.

Hinoka climbed further up her partner's body and smiled. She leaned in, kissing Camilla.

Camilla kissed back, their soft lips coming together for what felt like hours.

Once Hinoka removed her lips, she began to remove Camilla's shorts-

Camilla snapped back to reality, realizing how her wet her underpants were.

 _So much for clean, dry clothes. I should take this to the washroom._

She ran down the hall and opened the washroom door, only to find Leo sitting on the toilet, staring intently at his phone.

He quickly turned and yelped, his face flushing red like a tomato.

"I told you not to come barging in!"

"Sorry!" Camilla closed the door as fast as she opened it, heading to the washroom downstairs instead.

* * *

A puddle splashed as Camilla entered the driveway, her new copy of _Gone with the Wind_ on her lap. In front of her vehicle was Xander's black van. She exited the car and went inside the house, listening for Elise's rambunctious laughter. She always got excitable after eating a sugary breakfast, such as the waffles Camilla had cooked earlier.

Instead she was met with silence.

"…Is anyone home?" called Camilla.

No response.

She ran out to the stable and looked inside. Only her own and Leo's horses remained inside.

"Gone for a ride without me…oh well, I'll just finish my book," said Camilla.

She headed upstairs to her room, then stopped.

Leo's door was open a crack, a soft mumbling coming from the other side.

 _Surely it wouldn't hurt to take a peek at what he's doing,_ thought Camilla. She walked up to the door and looked inside with one eye.

Inside the room, Takumi sat in Leo's chair. He was reading a copy of _Thus Spoke_ _Zarathustra_ , Leo standing behind him.

 _When did Takumi get here?_

Leo wrapped his arms around his friend, leaning over Takumi's shoulder.

 _I knew it_ , thought Camilla. _I'll just leave them_.

She went into her room and grabbed a towel, then went back down to the veranda again. Though the sky was overcast, it remained clear of rain. Again Camilla wiped the chair down and sat.

* * *

 _I can't believe I'm only seven pages away from the end!_

True to her thoughts, Camilla finally neared the end of her doorstopper of a novel. Though she knew she should've focused on the ending, her excitement was overtaking her focus.

Slow clopping sounds came from the trail.

Camilla raised her head to see Hinoka and her horse trotting slowly down the trail. Camilla furrowed her brow and looked straight at Hinoka.

 _How odd. She's here later than usual, and she's moving so slowly…_

Hinoka stopped in front of the driveway, dismounting Tianma.

… _Huh?_

Strutting up to the veranda, Hinoka stopped.

"So this place was 120 Rainbow Road all along," said Hinoka, gazing at the house in front of her.

Camilla couldn't help but grin. This was her chance!

"Hello there," said Camilla. "How are you?"

Hinoka turned to Camilla. Her eyes widened and her face whitened.

"I-I'm doing fine, I guess…s-sorry for almost running you over with my horse the other day."

Camilla smiled.

"Please don't worry about that. It was my fault for wandering onto the trail."

"You were doing a little more than just wandering," said Hinoka. "I saw you chase that fox into the forest. Why were you chasing it?"

"Ah…you see, it was chewing my flowers," said Camilla. "Say, what's your name?"

"My name? Hinoka. What's yours?"

"My name is Camilla. It's nowhere near as lovely as yours, Hinoka," said Camilla.

"Is that so…nice to meet you, Camilla. What's that you're reading?"

"This? Oh, it's _Gone with the Wind_ ," said Camilla. "I'm just about finished."

Hinoka nodded.

"Hopefully it was good. Anyway, I'm here to pick up Takumi."

"I see! You must be his older sister."

"That I am. And you must be Leo's older sister," said Hinoka.

"I certainly am. Just a moment, please."

Camilla stood, opened the door, and bellowed inside.

"Takumi! Your sister is here to pick you up!"

"Thanks for that," said Hinoka.

Camilla took her seat and continued to grin.

"I'm rather surprised that the two of us only spoke for the first time earlier this week. Truly, I'm glad that the horse trail was completed."

"Yeah, it's…kind of weird, I guess. But at the same time, we _are_ only the sisters of our brothers' friends, so I don't think it's really necessary to meet," said Hinoka.

Camilla's smile fell.

"No, of course it isn't necessary. But after you nearly ran me down, I thought it would be nice to meet. As you can see," said Camilla, pointing towards the paddock, "our family rides horses too. I enjoy riding in the evenings."

"That must be nice," said Hinoka. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that I'm not interested in you. We know next to nothing about each other, so…I didn't really know what to say."

"Well, perhaps we can get to know each other better," said Camilla. "One of these days, we should ride together. On our horses, that is."

"Of course. What else could you have meant?"

Camilla shrugged and flicked her hair.

Hinoka's eyes widened and her face turned scarlet.

Camilla burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding! But seriously…would you like to go along the trail together someday? Takumi is a rather interesting young man, and his sister seems just as interesting. All I'm asking for is one trail ride."

Hinoka looked away and rubbed her hand on the back of her neck.

"If it's for just one ride, then I guess I wouldn't mind."

"Excellent!" said Camilla. She tore the blank front page out of her book, pulled a pen out of her pocket, and wrote her number on the paper. She handed it to Hinoka. "If you enjoy yourself, perhaps we can go for more. But I'm getting far too ahead of myself. For now, let's just focus on getting your brother to come down."

"T-thank you," said Hinoka. She walked over to the door and pushed on it. "I'll try this time. Takumi! I'm here! Please come down!"

Takumi scrambled down the stairs a few moments later. He wore a violet vest with a tall collar.

"…You don't own any purple clothes," said Hinoka.

Takumi's cheeks turned crimson.

"I-I do now! A-anyway, let's go! Goodbye, Camilla!"

"Goodbye, Takumi," said Camilla. "And goodbye to you too, Hinoka. Even though it was brief, I'm glad to have finally met you."

"Yeah," said Hinoka. "Me too. I'll…I'll call you at some point. Goodbye, Camilla."

Camilla watched as the siblings strolled down the driveway and mounted the horse. She kept her eye on them as they rode back towards the city.

"Hopefully someday we will ride together in the way you thought I meant," said Camilla.

She opened her book again, ready to finish it.


	2. One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

_Is this really a good idea…?_ thought Hinoka. She played with her phone, staring at the number on the paper in front of her. Though she'd received the number about a week ago, she hadn't bothered to call.

Hinoka knew the rudeness of such a thing; yet, she worried about how the trail ride might go. Her previous interactions with Camilla put her on edge. Despite nearly being run down, Camilla had the gall to call her a cutie. And that sexual joke she'd made shortly before saying goodbye….just what kind of person did that sort of thing to someone they'd just met?

 _And even though I'm still unsure, part of me is still genuinely curious about her…what the hell is wrong with me?!_

Takumi ran down the stairs with his bow and quiver, grinning as he met Hinoka's gaze. He wore the vest he'd brought back from Leo and Camilla's house.

 _Then again, if Leo and Takumi have_ that _kind of relationship, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get to know his family..._

"Say, Takumi? Could I ask you something?"

He stopped and frowned.

"As long as it's not about the vest, then go ahead."

"N-no, it's not about that," said Hinoka. "I wanted to know…how does Camilla act whenever you see her at Leo's? She wants me to go on a trail ride with her, but I'm not entirely sure I should."

Takumi glanced at his feet for a moment, then back at Hinoka.

"Let me guess, she called you some variation of adorable, didn't she?"

"Well…yes, yes she did," said Hinoka.

"…Yeah. She…she seems to do that to everyone. Even me," said Takumi. "It really creeps me out, personally. Though Leo thinks quite highly of her, and he insists that she does that to everyone. Though I don't really trust her, I do trust Leo, and…she calls him cute too so…I don't really know what to say."

"Well…thanks for letting me know. I'll think on it a little longer," said Hinoka. She sneezed twice in succession.

"Yeah. Good luck," said Takumi. He opened the sliding glass door to the backyard and went outside.

 _Ugh…that didn't dispel my fears at all._

"Um…Hinoka?" came a small voice.

"What is it, Sakura?" said Hinoka.

"I-I just wanted to say that…maybe you shouldn't go out today if you're sick," said Sakura.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm not sick…" said Hinoka.

"B-but your face is so pale!"

"Really?"

"Yes, it is!" said Sakura. "You're strong, but sometimes riding too much in the rain is bad…"

"I'll be fine. It's just a little hay fever. Why don't you go watch Takumi practice his archery? He's working hard for the tournament tomorrow," said Hinoka.

"Okay…" Sakura headed outside.

Hinoka continued to stare at the paper. She sighed.

 _Before I left that day, I told her I would call her…maybe I should face my fears head on._

Her hands shook as she raised her phone and dialed the number.

* * *

 _This was a mistake_ , thought Hinoka. She slowly raised her hand and rang the doorbell.

A man opened the door and looked down at Hinoka. His frown and narrowed eyes caused Hinoka to shiver.

"…How may I help you?"

"Uh…I'm…I'm looking for…"

"Xander, who's there?" came a high pitched voice. A second later, a short girl with two massive ponytails stood beside Xander. She smiled at Hinoka. "Hi there! My name's Elise! Did you come to see my big sister today?"

Hinoka's cheeks flashed crimson. _This girl…she's practically a child!_

"Er…yes. I came to meet Camilla."

Xander turned around.

"Camilla!"

Five minutes later, Camilla still hadn't shown.

 _Maybe she suddenly got sick and can't come_ , thought Hinoka. _Fingers crossed._

"Oh, look over there!" said Elise. She pointed at the paddock.

Camilla, riding on her black horse, came towards Hinoka.

"Well if it isn't Hinoka!" said Camilla. She dismounted her horse and smiled. "I'm glad you could make it today."

"Yeah…me too…" said Hinoka. Her eyes darted back and forth between Camilla and Xander. _Damn it._

They stood silently for a few moments before Hinoka sneezed, then spoke again.

"So…shall we go now?"

"I think that would be a lovely idea," said Camilla. She turned to Xander and Elise. "I'll see you two later!"

* * *

 _Just when is she gonna talk? She's the one who invited me here, after all_ , thought Hinoka. She raised a fist to her forehead, massaging it with her knuckle. _Though I'm kind of glad…just my luck, getting a headache now. Maybe if things get awkward I can leave early._

Despite being on the trail for about ten minutes, neither Hinoka nor Camilla had bothered to speak. Camilla merely told Hinoka that the trail through the woods was one of her favourite places to ride, insisting that Hinoka would love it too.

Hinoka certainly did enjoy the trail; along the path, the trees stood close together. Their leaves, full and brimming with numerous shades of green, formed a limitless ceiling. Beams of sunlight shone through the leaves. In the distance was a steep ravine, a deep river running at the bottom.

It reminded Hinoka of when she was a small child, walking through the woods like this. She almost expected to see a large _torii_ in the distance.

 _I wonder what Takumi and Sakura are up to…_

oooooooooooooooooooooo

"Nice shot, Sakura!" said Takumi. "How about we take a break?"

Sakura smiled as she put the bow down.

"Yeah, sure!"

The two walked towards the house.

"Say…Takumi? I've been meaning to ask…when did you get that vest?"

ooooooooooooooooooooo

"How long have you lived here, outside of Japan?" asked Camilla.

"Huh?" said Hinoka, her attention snapping back to her companion.

"I asked, how long have you lived here?" said Camilla.

"Uh…I can't remember exactly how long, but I know I've lived where I live since I was a kid," said Hinoka. "I was old enough to remember some of Japan, but young enough to feel like I've lived here my whole life. And…how about you? When did you move to where you live now?"

"About four years ago," said Camilla. "Before that, my family and I lived in the city. It was only a few streets down from your family's house, actually."

Hinoka's eyes widened.

"No way. Seriously?"

"I'm dead serious," said Camilla. "Surely you remember how frequently Leo came to visit Takumi. Do you remember the first time he came over?"

Hinoka let a small sigh escape before going straight faced once more.

"Yes, I do. He bullied Takumi at school all the time. Then one day, he followed him home. I still remember how Takumi cried his eyes out, saying that his bully punched him in the face. But the next day Leo suddenly became extremely friendly, asking to be friends ever since that."

"That's right. It's rather strange to think about the two being enemies now, isn't it?" said Camilla.

"I-it really is," said Hinoka. "I've been kind of curious about how that happened. Maybe you can finally give me an answer, Camilla."

"Hm? You mean about why Leo began treating your brother nicely?"

"Y-yeah. Can you tell me how that happened?" said Hinoka.

Camilla giggled.

"Of course! Anything for a pretty face like yours."

A shiver ran down Hinoka's spine.

"A-anyway! What happened that day?"

"Alright, I'll tell you," said Camilla. "To put it simply, our father found out what happened later that night when Takumi's stepmother gave him a call. He was furious, and insisted that Leo would apologize the next day. Not wanting to incur father's anger, that's exactly what he did. Soon after, my brother realised how similar he was to Takumi and tried to be his friend."

"I see," said Hinoka. "That's a little less exciting than I imagined, but I guess it makes sense. Seeing my brother sad like that…I admit I wanted to do something about it myself. I want to keep my siblings safe."

"Oh yes, I understand that feeling well," said Camilla. "Whenever my siblings are in pain, I do everything in my power to protect them."

"Aha…so we do have something other than horses in common…" said Hinoka. She felt a clenching pain in her stomach.

The two rode silently for another few minutes. This time Hinoka broke the silence.

"So, about you and Xander…are the two of you, you know…?"

"Oh! No, he's my older brother," said Camilla.

"Huh. I have an older brother too," said Hinoka. "His name's Ryoma. He's currently in Japan on a business trip."

"Wonderful! Do you have any other siblings, by any chance?"

"Well, aside from Takumi I have a younger sister too…" said Hinoka. "Sakura is her name. I think she's about the same age as your sister."

"Oh, how lovely!" said Camilla. She grinned. "It seems we have the same amount of siblings. Do you, by any chance, live with your parents still?"

"No, I don't," said Hinoka. "Mother died quite some time ago, and Father moved back to Japan about four years ago. So it's just my three siblings and me."

"I'm sorry for your loss. I live with just my siblings as well," said Camilla. "I'm not sure where my mother is, but my father simply moved away one day. I wasn't there at the time, as I was away at college."

"Don't worry about it," said Hinoka. "So, we have similar living arrangements…where did you go to college?"

"I went for a two year program at Magvel U," said Camilla.

"…S-so did I," said Hinoka.

"That's incredible," said Camilla. "Don't you think it's wonderful? We haven't been talking for long, and our similarities are already piling up. You truly are a lovely person, just as I thought…"

"Ugh…you're right…" said Hinoka. She averted her gaze from Camilla, looking down at Tianma. Despite the similarities, Hinoka found herself getting more nervous by the minute. Her stomach clenched once more. "Listen…I think I should go home sooner rather than later."

Camilla's smile fell.

"But why? Isn't it nice out here? You promised me you'd stay for one trail ride."

"Y-yes, it is beautiful out here. And…doesn't the trail end soon anyway?" said Hinoka.

"Yes, the proper trail does end soon," said Camilla. "But I wanted to take you my favourite spot. It's a bit off the path, but it's not too far."

"A-and what exactly do you want to show me?"

"It's a surprise."

Hinoka shook her head.

"No. I don't want to go to a place like that. Not when I'm alone with you." Hinoka's eyes widened. _Shoot! That just slipped out…_

Camilla gasped, then looked away.

"Is this because I called you cute? Because even though I will always find you adorable, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Hinoka felt her heart sink.

"Well…that's part of it. Though I was more concerned with-"

"That lewd joke I made before you left, isn't it?" said Camilla. "Look, I'm sorry. When I said that, I had no intention of saying something so lewd…your reaction just made me want to tease you a little, that's all. "

"W-well, it really wasn't necessary," said Hinoka.

"…What's done is done, Hinoka. I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable."

Hinoka stared ahead, saying nothing.

Camilla sighed.

"…Please stay, just for a little longer. I want to show you my special place. You can leave immediately after, if that's what you wish."

It was Hinoka's turn to sigh.

"…I wanted to leave because my head and stomach hurt. But I'll stay just long enough to see… "

Both rode silently again.

* * *

"So, how much further are we?" asked Hinoka. "I know you said it was a surprise, but…can't you tell me _something_ about it?"

"It's just up ahead. I think you'll appreciate it more if you see it for yourself."

Camilla trotted ahead, stopping at a small post. She dismounted her horse and tied it to the post.

Hinoka did the same.

* * *

"Ta-dah! Here we are!" said Camilla.

Hinoka emerged from the woods, kneeling over and rapidly coughing.

Camilla turned and kneeled, her eyes meeting Hinoka's.

"Oh dear, are you alright?"

"I'm fine…just a coughing fit," said Hinoka.

Camilla grinned.

"Once you're ready, take a look up ahead."

Hinoka raised her head and gasped, causing her to cough again.

Before her was a small field, filled with an assortment of flowers. Hinoka recognized several from Camilla's garden such as forget-me-nots, daffodils, and tulips. The field stopped a few metres in front of Hinoka, dropping off at a river. Its sandy bottom was clearly visible, with only leaves floating on its surface. To the right a cliff towered over the river, a waterfall crashing down.

"This…it's amazing!" said Hinoka.

Camilla's cheeks flushed rosily.

"I'm glad you like it. This place…I love coming here. It's my favourite place to swim. I was hoping you might want to swim with me here someday, Hinoka."

Hinoka continued to gaze around the area, mouth agape.

"How did you find this place?"

Camilla explained that she'd discovered it soon after her family moved into the area, lost one evening.

Hinoka took a seat, taking in every word. Camilla followed suit shortly afterwards, sitting across from her. Her mood rose rapidly as she listened to Camilla talk about her adventures in the forest.

The two spoke continuously for hours, chatting about their lives and everything in between.

Hinoka found herself so engaged that she completely forgot about her head and stomach pains.

"Oh, look at the sun!" said Camilla.

In the distance, the rapidly setting sun shot beams of lavender and marigold.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is!" said Hinoka. She turned to Camilla and smiled.

"Thank you for staying, Hinoka," said Camilla. "This is why I enjoy riding in the evenings…say, I wonder how the horses are doing?"

"…Oh, right!" Hinoka stood, her head and stomach pain returning as soon as she was on her feet. She fell back into her previous position, hands on her belly. "Ack!"

"Oh my, are you alright?" said Camilla. "Perhaps…leave…home."

"…Huh?" said Hinoka.

"I…we…go."

"I can't make out what you're- ugh!" Hinoka leaned forward onto her hands and vomited. Her head throbbed as she turned to Camilla, who slowly faded from her vision. She felt Camilla's arms around her waist.

Camilla's eyes bulged.

"Are…you…hear…me? Talk…me!"

Vision completely black, Hinoka tried to move. She fell limp in Camilla's arms.

"Hinoka!"

* * *

"Look, she's waking up!" said a male voice.

Hinoka groaned as she opened her eyes. Her headache was even worse than it was before; her entire body ached as the feeling re-entered it. She raised her head and looked around, realizing she was in her room, lying in bed. Beside her sat Takumi and Sakura.

"Nngh…how did I get here? Where's my horse? I have to find him!" said Hinoka. She sat, hot pain shooting through her body in the process. She lied back down with a groan.

"T-Tianma is fine," said Sakura. "He's in the stable. When he ran back here without you, we were seriously worried!"

Hinoka sighed.

"So that's it…you came looking for me?"

"Not quite," said Takumi. "While it's true that your horse ran here on his own, shortly behind him came Camilla and her horse. You passed out and she carried you here."

 _She…did that?_

"Is that so…I'll have to apologize for the inconvenience when I see her next-" Hinoka retched to her side. Takumi raised a bucket over his chest, positioning it towards Hinoka.

"Please rest," said Sakura. "Camilla is coming over tomorrow morning with some supplies. You can thank her then."

"Tomorrow…morning? What time is it?" asked Hinoka.

"I'd say it's about ten at night," said Takumi. He placed the bucket on the floor beside Hinoka.

"I-I see…then I'll go to bed…"

"That'd be best. See you tomorrow, Hinoka," said Takumi.

As her siblings left the room, Hinoka slid further under the covers.

 _I think I may have misjudged Camilla…_

* * *

Despite the exhaustion Hinoka felt, the night remained sleepless. She would sweat beneath the covers, only to shiver when she took them off. Every hour she leaned over the side of her bed, vomiting into the bucket.

By the time she managed to fall asleep, light had begun to filter through the blinds.

Something tickled. Hinoka slowly opened her eyes and looked at the source.

Violet hair was pinched between two fingers. The hair was being rubbed on Hinoka's cheek.

"Hinoka."

Hinoka's gazed moved towards Camilla, who sat next to her.

Seeing Hinoka awaken, Camilla stopped rubbing her cheek. Takumi and Sakura stood next to her.

Hinoka yawned.

"Mmmm…what time is it…?"

"It's nine in the morning," said Takumi. "I cancelled my spot in the tournament. Sakura and I are going to stay here today, and Camilla offered to help out."

Hinoka closed her eyes and groaned.

"W-why…none of you need to do this…I can tough it out on my own…" She tried to sit, but found herself unable.

"You're weak. You need food," said Camilla.

"Maybe we should make her something…" said Sakura.

"How about some miso soup? Come with me, Sakura. Let's make some," said Takumi.

"T-this early in the day? You're crazy," said Hinoka.

"And you're sick," said Takumi.

Hinoka turned away from her brother.

"…Fine."

"Let's get to it, then." Takumi turned to Camilla. "You coming too?"

Camilla smiled.

"Of course. You go on ahead; I'll come down in a few minutes."

With that, Takumi and Sakura left the room.

Camilla put a hand to Hinoka's head.

"Oh my! You're practically on fire! Hold on a moment, I have something that may help."

"T-thanks, but…I'm okay, really," said Hinoka.

"Nonsense. It'll only take a minute," said Camilla. She left the room.

Hinoka gazed around.

 _Why is she still hanging around…? Yesterday was a lot of fun, but…is there really a need for this? I'm sure Takumi and Sakura can handle me just fine._

Camilla returned with a wet cloth. She held it to Hinoka's forehead.

"There we go. Hopefully that feels good," said Camilla.

"It does," said Hinoka. She closed her eyes. "But…why are you still here? Don't you have better things to do than sit here and comfort me, the sick girl who tried to bail out on you yesterday?"

"Shhh. It was me who insisted we stay out longer. Even if I hadn't suggested staying longer, I would've come anyway. I like to take care of those I like."

Hinoka opened her eyes again, looking into Camilla's.

Camilla grinned and removed her hand from the cloth.

"And…you looked simply helpless and adorable, resting in bed like you are now."

Hinoka turned away, hiding her blush. The cloth fell off her head and onto the bed.

"Helpless isn't exactly something I like being called."

"I'm sorry, Hinoka. But I still think you're adorable."

"…Weren't you going to help my siblings make soup?" said Hinoka.

"Ah! Yes!" said Camilla. She stood and headed for the door. "I'll be back later."

"Right…" Hinoka yawned and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Are you awake, Hinoka?"

Hinoka opened her eyes.

"I am now."

"Good!" said Camilla. She took a seat on the bed, holding a plate with a bowl and spoon on it. "Would you like to try eating some of this soup?"

"I guess I can try," said Hinoka. She reached her shaking hand out.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Camilla dipped the spoon onto the soup, blew on it, and brought it to Hinoka's face. "Open wide!"

"W-what?! You're the one who's being ridiculous, I can do it myself!"

"Aww…please? I want to feed Hinoka, just this one time!" said Camilla.

"N-no! Where are my siblings? Why are _you_ bringing me soup?"

"They're in the basement playing video games. And I'm doing this because I want to," said Camilla. "I figured they'd like to decompress a little, so I said I'd do it!"

"…I'm gonna take the spoon now." Hinoka took the spoon out of Camilla's hands. It fell out of her shaking hands onto the bed.

Camilla picked up the spoon and raised an eyebrow.

Hinoka cursed under her breath.

"Fine. Do what you please. Not like I can do anything about it anyway."

"Shhh…open up," said Camilla.

Hinoka found herself looking into Camilla's eyes as she put the spoon into her mouth.

"Is it good?" asked Camilla.

Hinoka swallowed.

"Yeah, it is."

Camilla grinned as she continued to feed Hinoka.

 _Uh…why does my chest feel warm?_ thought Hinoka. _Wait, am I…am I actually enjoying this? Why?!_

"Is everything alright? Your face suddenly turned quite red," said Camilla.

"Y-yes! Everything is well!" said Hinoka. She felt her eyes droop. "…Though I'm still quite tired. I'd like to get more rest, if you don't mind."

"Not at all! If you want anything else, please tell me," said Camilla. "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks, but I'm good," said Hinoka. She rolled over and shut her eyes.

Shortly before drifting off, she thought she felt her hand interlocking with another.

* * *

Hinoka squirmed as she dreamt.

She rode through the sky on a carpet, Takumi at her side. He held a steering wheel in his hands.

"Sis! Did you bring the gun?"

"Did I bring the- oh!" said Hinoka as she pulled a machine gun out of her shirt.

"I'm gonna drive us to the front lines! Hang on!" said Takumi.

"But you don't have your license!"

"You don't need a license to fly a carpet!" said Takumi. They flew forward and did a loop. "Squadala, we are off!"

Hinoka looked down and saw a horde of people, each wearing a violet robe and shooting lightning bolts at the carpet.

"Hurry! General Chrom's army of tacticians are here!" said Takumi.

"Got it!" said Hinoka, shooting the gun into the crowd.

The tacticians remained unaffected by the shots.

"Takumi, it isn't working! What's going on?!"

Silence.

"…Takumi?"

She looked to her side and saw Takumi had vanished.

"Great, what am I gonna do now? I don't know how to fly a carpet!"

A lightning bolt hit the back of the carpet, causing Hinoka and the carpet to spin out and descend. As she hit the ground, the scene changed.

Now Hinoka flew over a desert at night.

"This is strangely familiar," said Hinoka.

"I can show you the world."

"Gah!" Hinoka turned to see Camilla sitting beside her, dressed in long white clothing.

She beamed and wrapped her arms around Hinoka.

"Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"

"Huh? What?"

Camilla put a hand on Hinoka's cheek.

"A whole new world…"

"Hey, that doesn't come for another two verses!" said Hinoka.

Camilla laughed.

"You're so adorable when you're right. From now on, you'll be the only one in my sights." She rested her head on Hinoka's shoulder.

"H-hey, what do you think you're doing?" said Hinoka. She felt her companion's breasts against her chest, causing her to blush.

"I'm going to make love to you."

"I-I beg your _pardon_?!"

"Don't pretend you aren't interested, my lovely girl."

"But I've never slept with another woman!"

"A whole new word then, isn't it?"

Hinoka put a hand to her forehead and broke into hysterics.

"So that's why you were singing that!"

"That's right. Now get ready!" Camilla kissed Hinoka, then began to pull her partner's top off.

Hinoka gasped. Despite Camilla reaching for her top, all of her clothes disappeared in a second.

"H-how did you do that?!"

"An old Nohrian secret."

"Bullshit!" Hinoka pulled Camilla closer, shoving her face into her partner's breasts. "Teach me now!"

"You'll learn in due time," said Camilla. She pushed Hinoka's face out of her breasts and pinned her on her back. "Prepared to be ravaged."

Hinoka squealed as Camilla licked her breasts, tongue circling their nipples.

Camilla ran her tongue down Hinoka's body, stopping just before she reached her groin.

"N-no! Stop teasing me!" cried Hinoka. Before she could do anything else, she felt Camilla's tongue enter her pussy. She moaned.

"Hinoka."

"Oh, Camilla…"

"Hinoka?"

"C-Camilla…"

"Are you awake?"

* * *

Hinoka shot into a sitting position, beads of sweat running down her forehead.

"Oh no! Are you okay?" asked Camilla, putting her hand on Hinoka's forehead. "I was just collecting my things and I heard you yelp. Your face is incredibly red too. What happened?"

"I-I had a dream!" said Hinoka.

Camilla titled her head.

"About what?"

"It…uh…" _Quick, think of a lie!_ "It was about a friend."

The corners of Camilla's mouth turned upward.

"Which friend?"

 _God damn it! At this point, that isn't a lie at all! Why did I say that?_ Hinoka's body vibrated as she scanned the room, looking for something, _anything_ , that might distract-

Her eyes fell upon a picture of her former neighbour Azura, standing next to her cousin.

"M-my ex-neighbour Azura!" Hinoka pointed to the picture on the wall. "See? The girl with blue hair!"

Camilla stared at the picture, jaw agape.

"I-I know her."

"That's good, I- wait, you _do_?"

"Not well," said Camilla. "But this young man beside her, her cousin…he was like a little brother to me."

"R-Really? I guess Azura was kind of like a sister to me…but you knew Kamui? How?"

"I was about to ask the same thing," said Camilla. "He was our neighbour…we were around each other all the time. Azura would frequently visit his place. Eventually he moved away, and I think he and Azura bought a house together…"

"They did," said Hinoka. "Likewise, Kamui would come to Azura's house every so often…what are the odds?"

"…I see my darling Hinoka and I have even more in common than once thought," said Camilla. "Anyway, I came to say goodbye. I need to get home and arrive in time to help prepare dinner for my family."

"Oh…okay. Will I see you again?" Hinoka felt stupid as soon as the words left her mouth. _What kind of ridiculous question was that?!_

Camilla brought her hands to her cheeks and giggled.

"You are just the cutest! Of course you will. But not until sometime after you get better, so rest up."

"O-okay…see you, then…"

"Goodbye, Hinoka."

Hinoka sighed in relief when Camilla closed the door behind her.

 _That was a close one…but why would I have a dream like that…? And why does my stomach clench whenever she calls me cute? And in a good way, not sick or nervous like before…_

Hinoka shook her head and went back into her resting position.

 _I'm still tired…I'll just go back to bed and think about it later._

* * *

When Hinoka woke up it was morning. She sat up and stretched, finding that most of the pain in her body had vanished.

 _Mmm…I don't think I've had a sleep that long and sound for quite some time._ She teetered out of bed and put fresh clothes on before wandering downstairs.

 _Hopefully Sakura got to school just fine_ , thought Hinoka. She sat at the table, bowl of cereal and coffee in front of her.

Takumi sat at the other end of the table.

"Oh, good morning. Looks like you slept well."

"Good morning, Takumi. I did, thanks," said Hinoka. "I'm still a bit under the weather, though, so I think I'll wait until tomorrow to go back out again."

"That much is clear. The Hinoka I know wouldn't say something like that."

"…Considering what happened the other day, wouldn't you do the same, at least until you got better?" said Hinoka.

Takumi pursed his lips.

"She wouldn't say that either, but…I guess so." He stood and went into the other room.

 _Still moody as ever in the morning, it seems_ , thought Hinoka. She took a sip of her coffee.

The image of Camilla wearing her white clothes on the magic carpet reared itself into Hinoka's thoughts. Heat quickly rose into her face.

 _That dream…it was strange. Why did I dream something like that…?_ As she replayed the dream in her head, an all too familiar feeling rose in her groin. _Oh no…seriously?_

Hinoka had once read that dreaming about having sex with another person was more about having trust in the other person, not having a sexual attraction. Yet she couldn't exactly deny the involuntary physical reaction she was having.

 _Oh lord…am I gay after all? No, the feelings I had for that one guy were the real deal…bisexual. Maybe. But don't lots of girls have physical reactions to seeing lesbian porn anyway? God, I don't know…_

"Aww, come on, can't I keep it?" said Takumi from the other room.

 _Hold on…maybe Takumi can help._ Hinoka walked into the living room.

Takumi lied on his back on the couch, phone to his ear.

"Geez…alright. My sisters have been asking me about it, so maybe it's for the best. I'll give it back to you tomorrow." He hung the phone up.

Hinoka cleared her through, causing Takumi to flinch and look in her direction.

"Yikes! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry. Anyhow, I've got a question for you," said Hinoka.

"What is it?"

Hinoka put her hands behind her back and gazed around the room.

"I…I don't really know how to ask this, but…how did you first realize you were attracted to Leo?"

"Okay, first of all, I'm not merely attracted to him. I'm in lo-" Takumi's eyes went wide and he coughed in rapid succession. "…It just kind of happened. Like walking outside and suddenly noticing your neighbour's car is red."

"Er…okay then. I mean, how did it happen? How'd you end up getting together?"

Takumi blushed.

"W-well…we were sitting with playing chess one day, and…my queen rolled under the table and…I grabbed the wrong thing."

Hinoka put a hand to her mouth, unable to successfully hide her giggle.

"S-stop that! Anyway, I don't think I need to tell you what happened next. After we finished our…game…we just kind of admitted how we felt. We'd both been longing after each other for so long, and it was really nice."

"So…is that why you never play him in _shōgi_ or chess anymore?"

"Uh, yeah...But why are you asking me this?"

Hinoka blushed and turned away.

"I'm a little confused about something. Thanks for telling me."

"That something being your sexuality, I presume?" said Takumi.

"…Pretty much, yeah," said Hinoka.

Takumi grinned.

"I see it didn't take you long to submit to Camilla's charms."

"S-shut up! I don't even know if I'm attracted to her or not!"

"…So I was right. This _is_ about her. I think Sakura owes me some cash," said Takumi.

"E- _excuse_ me? You made a bet?!"

"Kind of. I bet that you'd fall for her sooner rather than later, Sakura bet you'd fall for her after a few months."

"…This whole thing is starting to remind me of a man I met at Magvel. He constantly gambled and bet that a nun would fall in love with him."

"Did she?"

"I have no clue. Either way, I haven't got a clue about how I feel, so you might want to hold off the results for a while," said Hinoka. "In fact, stop betting as a whole."

"I'm not a child, I'll do as I please!"

"But Sakura is! …Sort of."

Takumi groaned. He narrowed his eyes.

"…Let's settle this in Smash. "

Hinoka grinned.

"You're on."

* * *

The next day, Hinoka felt completely rejuvenated. She hummed to herself as she cooked her breakfast.

Someone yelled from the basement.

"God damn it! I hate Zelda so much!"

 _Huh? That sounds like Leo…when did he get here?_

Hinoka headed for the basement and walked down.

"Face it Leo, Zelda is better than Marth."

"No she isn't! Marth is much better!"

"In what way?"

"He looks cool!"

"I suppose that why you dress like him."

"Quiet, you! I fail to see what's so great about Zelda!"

"Her final smash is an arrow."

"Well her franchise has some terrible CD-i games- hold on, someone's coming down."

"Hello, Leo," said Hinoka. "How's it going?"

"I'm doing well," said Leo. He picked up a wrapped box sitting beside him. "You're looking well. I suppose I should give you this, then."

Hinoka took the box and ripped its wrapping off to reveal a box of honey flavoured chocolate.

"This…it's my favourite kind of chocolate."

"...You're missing something, you know," said Leo. He held a pink envelope.

Hinoka's cheeks turned crimson as she took the envelope.

"I guess I should have waited until you gave me that first, haha…"

"Whatever. You already opened the present so there's nothing that can be done." He turned to Takumi. "No items, Fox only, Final Destination."

Hinoka tore open the envelope and a slip of paper fell out. Hinoka opened it and read out loud:

"Dear Hinoka, thank you so much for going on the trail ride with me. I quite enjoyed our time together, we learned so much about each other! Sorry that you had to get sick. Did your siblings tell you that I carried you home? I hope so.

"If you're reading this, then you must be feeling better! I told Leo not to give this to you until you were all better. Truly, I can't wait to see your pretty face again, whenever that is. I hope you don't mind, but I asked your sister what your favourite chocolate was. Please enjoy.

"Hope to see you soon,

Camilla ~ "

Hinoka felt heat spread through her chest.

"Oh…I need to thank her for this."

"For your information, she likes Ferrero Rocher," said Leo.

"Great! Thanks!" said Hinoka. "…Is she home today?"

"She usually is on weekdays."

"…I'll be back in a bit," said Hinoka. "Takumi, you hold down the fort."

Takumi dismissively waved his hand as he turned back towards the TV.

* * *

Hinoka's palms sweated as she pulled up to the driveway in her red Subaru.

 _I really hope she's home…_

She exited the car, box of Ferrero in hand, and went up to the door. She rang the doorbell.

No response.

Hinoka knocked in the door. Still nothing.

"Damn it, she must be out or something." Turning around, she noticed someone lying near the flower garden. The person was lying face down and had wild lavender hair that stuck out in all directions.

It took Hinoka a second to realise it was Camilla. She dropped the chocolate and raced over to her side.

"Camilla? Are you okay?"

Camilla rolled herself onto her side. Her face was pale and soaked in sweat, the bags under her eyes noticeable.

"Ngh…H-Hinoka…help me get to the washroom…"

Hinoka hoisted Camilla into her arms and headed for the house.

"D-damn, you're heavy! And you're sick!"

"I-I got to be with Hinoka when she was sick…and now she has me in her arms…completely worth it."

"D-don't say things like that!" said Hinoka. She went inside the house and put Camilla down on the washroom floor.

Camilla immediately scrambled for the toilet, leaning over it and retching.

"I-I'll prepare a bucket!" said Hinoka. She left the washroom and looked around. A bucket was in the laundry room. She yelled out.

"Which room is yours?"

"The last one on the right, upstairs!" Camilla called back.

Hinoka ran upstairs and into Camilla's room. She placed the bucket at the side of the bed.

 _I guess I should help her up here…I'll wait a few minutes._

Hinoka sat on Camilla's bed and gazed around the room. The bed had a handmade blanket with a music note pattern on it. A neat bookshelf sat beside the window, which had a white cushioned seat in front of it. Neatly cross-stitched curtains were drawn back, revealing a clear view of the lawn and horse trail. The room was free of clutter and perfectly polished.

 _Compared to this, my room looks like a war zone_ , thought Hinoka. Her palms began to sweat again, realising Camilla had seen it.

"Hinokaaaa!"

"Coming!" Hinoka went downstairs and took her hand, leading Camilla up the stairs.

"I'm so happy you came to see me," said Camilla.

"I'm glad I came too. How long were you lying on the ground for?"

"Hmmm…about half an hour, I think."

"Ugh…I'm sorry I couldn't have come sooner. I should have called."

"What difference would it have made? My phone was inside anyway."

* * *

Hinoka entered the room with a damp cloth in her hands. She went to Camilla's bedside and put the cloth on her forehead.

"There. All good?"

"Yes. Thank you, Hinoka," said Camilla.

"I'll stick around until Leo gets back. I gave him a call and he should be back within the hour."

"Awww, I want Hinoka to stay a little while," said Camilla.

Hinoka looked into Camilla's half lidded eyes. The pleading look inside them made her heart sink.

"…Alright, I'll stay until your other siblings come back."

"Really? I'm so glad…I could kiss you…"

Hinoka felt the heat rise in her face.

"I…I wanted to thank you for taking care of me the other day. Thanks for the chocolate too. I bought you some chocolate too…though it's kind of sitting on the lawn right now. Hopefully it won't melt into a puddle."

"Your presence is enough for me, Hinoka."

Hinoka turned, hiding the ever-deepening blush that seemed to perpetuate her interactions with Camilla.

"W-well, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Camilla smiled weakly.

"You can come with me to see a movie when I'm better."

 _That_ wasn't what Hinoka expected to hear.

"H-huh?! You mean, alone? Just you and me?"

"That's right," said Camilla. Her smile fell. "Do you…not want to go with me?"

"It's not that, I…" _I don't know if you're asking me out._

"Think about it, please. All our meetings so far have been a little unusual, and I'd really like to have a good, planned-"

"I'll go," said Hinoka. "I don't care what we see. I want to go, and I want to see whatever it is with you and only you."

Camilla pulled her blanket over her face as it reddened.


	3. Wishful

_Oh, Camilla…C-Camilla…_

As she leaned against the vending machine, Camilla replayed the scene over and over in her head as she'd done for the past week. It was just her luck that she'd finished checking up on Hinoka once more before she left for the day, only to be beckoned back into her room by a sudden yelp. She feared Hinoka was having a nightmare or, worse, a convulsion.

Her fears were slightly alleviated when Hinoka moaned Camilla's name out twice. The tone in Hinoka's voice sounded far more ecstatic and pleased than panicked and tortured. And when she sat up and nervously explained that she dreamt about a friend…Camilla's fear was instantly replaced with pure, raw, desire.

Claiming to dream about a friend, letting out pleasured moans of Camilla's name, Hinoka's noticeable and desperate glances around the room after being asked just who she was dreaming about…Hinoka was _such_ a liar. But Camilla would forgive her, as there was no doubt in her mind that Hinoka was simply trying to be polite. Though she intended to press further, Camilla decided to drop the issue when Hinoka mentioned Azura.

And then she'd fallen ill herself…it was from being so close to Hinoka while she was sick, no doubt. Though Hinoka stayed only for that afternoon, she called to check up on Camilla more than once during the duration of her illness. Camilla felt warmth in her stomach.

Long ago Camilla had read that the longest lasting romantic relationships were between two people with similar circumstances in their lives. She was simply euphoric to learn about Hinoka's past; though they may not have been from the same countries, the similarities of their family structures, location, age, and education were signs of good things to Camilla.

Alongside their shared interests, Camilla found herself quickly wanting more than just Hinoka's body. She wanted everything from going out to breakfast to taking Hinoka's calloused hands in hers and dancing through the night. Her thoughts shifted to when she fed Hinoka her miso soup.

Honestly, Hinoka looked so _cute_ while she was being fed. Though she knew Hinoka wouldn't allow such a thing to happen again so easily, it was worth it to be able to do it even once. She was just as adorable as she drifted off to sleep. The sight of her belly slowly rising up and down made Camilla's stomach flutter.

Camilla wanted to wake up next to that sleepy smile more than anything else.

She checked her phone. 7:27pm. Soon Hinoka would be arriving at the movie theatre. Camilla hadn't bothered to select a film to watch, thinking it would be more fun to decide when Hinoka arrived.

Camilla briefly glanced at a poster for _The Sound of Music_. The bottom of the poster read "50th anniversary: Limited run!" Beside it was a poster for _Mad Max: Fury Road_. She started at _The Sound of Music_ once more; it was one of her long-time favourites.

Her palms sweated as she continued to wait.

* * *

It was now 7:35pm and Camilla hadn't heard anything from Hinoka yet. Tapping her foot, she looked around the theatre.

Being a Friday night, moviegoers were running to and fro from every corner. The concession lines were long and unorganized, people scrambling to get in before it got even longer.

Camilla's gaze fell upon two people standing near the box office. One was rather tall with a full head of spiky chestnut coloured hair, while the other was a little shorter with turquoise hair.

Not a moment later Hinoka appeared and shoved them aside, running straight for Camilla.

"Sorry!" said Hinoka. She stopped a foot away from Camilla. "I was just talking to my friends. They're here to see something themselves. I got here a bit early, so when I saw them here I decided to kill some time and chat 'em up."

Camilla shrugged and smiled.

"Well, now that we're together, let's decide on something to watch. Why don't you tell me what you'd like to see first?"

"W-What do I want to see?" Hinoka rubbed the back of her neck. "W-well, you invited me here, so I think we should see what you want to."

"True as that may be, I want to see what my cute little Hinoka is interested in."

Hinoka continued to rub her neck.

"I-I suppose…I'm kind of interested in _Mad Max_? I heard it was pretty good, y'know? Plus, action movies are pretty fun."

"Why don't you tell her what you _really_ want?" said a male voice.

Behind Hinoka stood the two people she shoved past earlier. The spiky haired man smirked.

Hinoka groaned as she turned.

"A-Asama! Knock it off!"

"He's right, you know…" said the turquoise haired woman beside Asama.

"Not you too, Setsuna! Go buy your tickets already!" said Hinoka. Her face flushed fifty shades of red.

"But…we saw you…looking at that _Sound of Music_ poster earlier," said Setsuna.

"While I'm sure _Mad Max_ is an excellent film, and I do believe you when you say you want to see it, don't you think your date wants something a little more romantic?" Asama grinned. "After all, it's only here for a limited time."

Camilla felt the blood rush to her face. _So Hinoka_ does _understand that this is a date…_

"D-date? What are you going on about?!" said Hinoka. She looked at Camilla and her face flushed even redder.

Camilla began to play with her hair.

"… _The Sound of Music_ is one of my favourite films. I'm prepared to see whatever you wanted to see, Hinoka, but allow me to be honest when I say I'd prefer to watch it over any other movie this cinema has to-"

"Then let's see that!" blurted Hinoka. She covered her mouth. "I-I apologize for interrupting you like that but…I told you I would see anything you wanted to, remember? So l-let's watch that."

"If you're certain," said Camilla. She turned to Asama and Setsuna. "Thank you."

* * *

As the previews began, Camilla scanned the cinema. Aside from her and Hinoka, there were only four others watching the film. Three of those were together, while the lone fourth person sat at the very back.

Hinoka was already busy stuffing her face with popcorn.

Camilla had once heard that the Japanese were interested in the concept of indirect kissing. Whether such a thing was true, she didn't know. She snuck a sip of Hinoka's drink regardless.

* * *

Throughout the first half of the movie, Camilla surreptitiously glanced at Hinoka. Every so often she caught Hinoka looking at her in the same manner, though she always turned her attention back to the movie before Camilla could smile at her.

* * *

"It's kind of weird how Maria fell for von Trapp," said Camilla. "Even though it's cute, I do feel rather bad for Schraeder."

She looked at Hinoka, only to find her drinking out of a blue cup.

 _Camilla's_ blue cup.

Hinoka's eyes met Camilla's. They stared at each other for what felt like hours before Hinoka put the cup back in its holder. She whispered an apology before looking back at the screen.

Despite the darkness, Camilla could see Hinoka's face deepen in colour.

* * *

Camilla choked as her tears began to fall. She always did this when Maria and Captain von Trapp admitted their feelings for each other.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but here I am," said Camilla. She took Hinoka's hand in hers.

Though she initially felt Hinoka pull her hand away, it returned moments later, this time on top of Camilla's.

* * *

"This part is the best," said Hinoka.

Camilla couldn't help but giggle as the nuns presented pieces of the Nazis' car engine.

* * *

The two exited the theatre. As they walked towards the parking lot, Camilla spoke.

"I'm glad we watched that. Thank you, Hinoka."

"You're welcome. While it's not my favourite movie ever, I do like watching it," said Hinoka. Her face flashed scarlet. "And…I enjoyed watching it with you, Camilla."

Camilla felt her own face go scarlet.

"Really? I'm so…so…" She stopped and hugged Hinoka, embracing her tightly.

"Ahaha…you're smothering me," said Hinoka.

Camilla let go.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist doing that."

Hinoka gave an uneasy laugh.

"Yeah? W-well…there's something I can't resist either."

She quickly kissed Camilla's cheek.

Camilla's face reddened further.

"I-I see..." She took Hinoka by the shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Hinoka, I know how the Japanese feel about indirect kissing."

The hue of Hinoka's face now matched Camilla's.

"Y-you do? I…uh…"

"You see, while you weren't looking, I took a sip of your drink as well. I did this before you drank mine."

"Oh…oh dear…"

It took less than a second for Camilla to close the gap between them. Her heart increased in speed as she brought her lips to Hinoka's, kissing her gently. She felt Hinoka kiss back, wrapping her arms around Camilla.

When she removed her lips, Hinoka was beaming. She rested her head on Camilla's shoulder.

"We should do something else next week."

Camilla grinned.

"I'd love to. And this time, you pick what we should do."

"Hmmm…give me some time to think about it," said Hinoka. "I'll give you a call within a few days, okay?"

"Works for me," said Camilla.

Hinoka removed her arms from Camilla and headed for her car.

Camilla was heading for her own when Hinoka shouted.

"For crying out loud, Setsuna!"

Camilla turned to see Hinoka leap into a hole in the parking lot, returning a few seconds later with Setsuna in her arms. Both caught Camilla's glance and waved.

She waved back and slid inside her car.

* * *

Though Camilla hadn't quite expected a coffee date, she wasn't disappointed in the slightest. It gave her and Hinoka another chance to converse, with the added bonus of learning each other's beverage preference.

Her tea saturated with milk, Camilla sat in front of Hinoka.

"That's…certainly quite different from mine," said Hinoka. She showed Camilla the top of her coffee. It was completely black.

"Indeed it is," said Camilla. "Do you not like tea?"

"It's not that I don't, but…the kind of tea I prefer is a Japanese kind, and few places seem to have it," said Hinoka.

Camilla reached out and held Hinoka's hand.

"Someday, you and I will have to go out and find some of this tea. And then I will make you some, just the way you like it."

Hinoka's face reddened as she looked her hand, still interlocked with Camilla's.

"You really don't have to."

"But I want to," said Camilla. "I like you quite a lot, Hinoka. You're the cutest person I've met in a very long time. Wanting to do things for those I like comes naturally to me, and I love doing it. I told you about it back when you were bedridden."

Hinoka brought her palm to her forehead.

"Right. I'm sorry, Camilla, it's just…I've never been with another woman before, and I'm used to rejecting offers of help from everyone."

Camilla frowned.

"What does being with a woman for the first time have to do with anything?"

"N-no, I didn't mean it in a bad way!" said Hinoka. "I'm used to dudes in the sense that most of the ones I've been with aren't as outwardly caring as you are. It's something that's gonna need some getting used to. Even though I had some doubts when we first staring talking, they've pretty much washed away. Because of that, I find myself liking you quite a bit too, so...thanks for the offer, Camilla. I might have to take you up on it someday."

Camilla smiled as tears began to fall from her eyes.

Hinoka pulled on the collar of her shirt.

"…Did I say something wrong?"

"Not at all!" said Camilla. She walked over to Hinoka's side and wrapped her arms around her waist. "I'm just so touched by what you said, I can't help but sob!"

"…We're being stared at, you know," said Hinoka.

Camilla gazed around the café to see more than a few people looking.

"Oh. Excuse me," said Camilla. She sat back in her seat and blushed.

* * *

Camilla hummed the tune of _One Way or Another_ as she folded her laundry. In her hands was the dress she'd bought at the mall on the previous day. Its silk fabric gleamed under the light, making Camilla's hands as lilac as its contents.

 _I hope Hinoka likes it…_ , thought Camilla. She folded it and placed it to the side.

The next item she pulled out of the pile was a violet vest. Inside the vest's pocket was a ripped and crumpled piece of paper. Camilla took it out and opened it.

On closer inspection, the paper was actually a photograph. Though most of it was destroyed after going through the dryer, Camilla made out Takumi's face. A blush was plastered across his face, evident by how light the skin was on his neck, his chest, his belly…

"Give me that!"

Camilla looked behind to see Leo running at her. He snatched the vest and picture out of Camilla's hands.

She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Leo. I wasn't sure what it was, so I-"

"It's ruined," said Leo. He looked at the picture and groaned.

"I'm sure you can get more nudes from Takumi in the future," said Camilla.

Leo's face burned crimson. He shook his head.

"So you've already figured it out, then. I figured you would know."

Camilla giggled.

"I had a feeling my cute little brother had more than a simply platonic relationship with his so-called 'best friend'. My long time suspicions were confirmed when I peeked into your room about four weeks ago."

"So that _was_ you!" said Leo. "Takumi said he thought he saw someone looking in. I thought he was just making that up. I guess I owe him an apology."

"What can I say? The door was open a crack and I wanted to check up on you," said Camilla. "I left you alone because I saw you embracing Takumi."

"Well…thanks for leaving us then, I guess," said Leo. He smirked. "So, how have things been going between you and Hinoka?"

Camilla blushed.

"I'd say it's going quite nicely. We've been on a few dates so far and I'm taking her dancing tomorrow night."

"I see," said Leo. "Any kisses yet?"

"Our first kiss was outside of the movie theatre."

Leo laughed.

"It's a bit strange, imagining Hinoka actually kissing someone. It's even stranger to imagine her dancing. Have you done…" He wiggled his eyebrows. "… Her?"

Camilla's mouth fell open. Not once had she seen Leo wiggle his eyebrows before, nor was she used to him so blatantly asking something like that.

"No, not yet. Hopefully it'll happen soon, though. You've never asked about that kind of thing before. Why now?"

"Because Takumi wants to know. He insists Hinoka won't ever tell him."

Camilla frowned.

"And why does Takumi want to know?"

Leo's grin faltered.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure. Though knowing him, it probably isn't for anything scandalous."

"I see. Well, I doubt I need to ask you if you and Takumi have gotten busy under the sheets," said Camilla. She looked at the vest in Leo's hand and smirked.

"Oh, shut up!" said Leo. He went to exit the room. "Anyway, the only reason I came down here was to get that vest. I'll be seeing you."

Camilla finished folding her clothes and carried the basket upstairs. She saw Elise sitting at the dinner table and Xander carrying a plate with a steamed lobster on it. She dropped the basket and went over to them.

"Did you know Leo can wiggle his eyebrows? Because he just did a few minutes ago."

Xander dropped his plate and Elise's eyes widened.

* * *

"You look really nice today," said Hinoka.

Camilla blushed and fixed her dress's strap.

"I gotta warn you that I'm really not much of a dancer," said Hinoka.

"I'll be the judge of that," said Camilla. She wrapped her arm around Hinoka's waist and kissed her rosy cheek. They entered the bar.

Hinoka's face crumpled, the scent of alcohol hitting her and Camilla like a slap to the face. The dance floor had several people on it, mostly men and women grinding on each other. At the bar there were two tenders and a few drunks passed out. The speakers blared, playing an off-key rendition of Led Zeppelin's _How Many More Times_.

"I'm sorry we couldn't go somewhere nicer," said Camilla. "I haven't been here in so long, it's really turned into a dive…this city is terrible when it comes to entertainment."

"You got that right. Can't we go somewhere else?"

"I…I don't really know any other places," said Camilla. "You see, the DJs here are somewhat close with my family. They failed to tell me how much of a dive this place has become. If you want to go somewhere else, where should we go?"

"The places I like going to are all closed now," said Hinoka. "I…I guess we can try staying here for a little bit. But promise me that the moment something goes wrong, we're outta here."

"You have my word," said Camilla.

"Hey, Camilla!" said a voice. "Haven't seen you here in a while! Welcome to Sixties night!"

Camilla turned toward the DJ booth.

"Lazward! It's been too long!" She took Hinoka's hand. "Let's go!"

"O-okay!"

Camilla walked up to Lazward, continuing to hold hands with Hinoka.

"Lazward, I'd like you to meet Hinoka."

"I see. She's just as charming as you are," said Lazward. "Is she your new girlfriend?"

Hinoka's eyes widened.

"H-huh?! Is that what we are now?"

Camilla felt her heart sink.

Hinoka looked at Camilla and put her hand over her mouth.

"N-no! He just caught me off guard!" She held Camilla's hand and smiled. "I would love to be your girlfriend, Camilla."

"T-thank you," said Camilla. She pulled Hinoka into a hug. "From this point on, I only want to date you."

"How touching," said Lazward. "But of course, if either of you change your mind at any point, I'll always be-"

Camilla narrowed her eyes.

"No, Lazward."

He put a hand the back of his head.

"Can't blame a guy for trying. Anyway, Odin is currently on break at the bar. You should share the news. Once you get on the floor, I'll play something good."

Camilla thanked Lazward and led Hinoka to the bar.

Odin was chatting with a bartender, a bottle of beer next to him.

"Odin!"

"Camilla!" Odin turned and grinned. He looked at Hinoka. "So, is this the woman Luna said you're attracted to?"

"Sure is," said Camilla. "Her name is Hinoka."

Hinoka blushed and turned away.

"Hinoka, eh?" Odin looked up briefly, then back at Camilla. "Have you named your relationship yet?"

Camilla laughed.

Hinoka turned back and raised her eyebrow.

"W-why would we need to do something like that?"

"It would make it more special, don't you think?" said Odin.

"You should name it, Odin," said Camilla.

"Really?" Odin looked at Hinoka. "Are you alright with that?"

Hinoka shrugged.

"Sure, I guess."

"Awesome! Why don't you go dance while I figure one out?"

Camilla smiled and held her hand out to Hinoka.

"Shall we?"

Hinoka smiled back as she took Camilla's hand once more. The song playing on the loudspeakers faded out.

Lazward winked and grabbed a microphone.

"Hope everyone's having a great time during Sixties night! Ladies, grab your partners, because this next one's going to make you want to spend your entire night with them!"

A familiar beat began to play from the speakers.

Camilla burst out laughing as she began to swing her hips from side to side.

"Oh, Lazward! You always play the same song!"

"Huh? What's he playing?" asked Hinoka. "It sounds familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it…"

Lazward spun on the spot and began to sing.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, now touch me, babe!"

Hinoka's jaw dropped as a blush crept onto her face.

"Of all the songs to play…this is one of Takumi's favourites! This isn't a sixties song!"

Camilla spun Hinoka.

"Actually, it is! It came out back in 1969, so just barely!"

"I-I see," said Hinoka. She tried to twirl Camilla, instead slipping forward and falling onto the ground. She rubbed her forehead.

"Are you alright?" asked Camilla. She helped Hinoka back to her feet.

"I'm p-perfectly fine. Like I told you, I'm not much of a dancer."

"You're trying, at least," said Camilla. She kissed Hinoka's hand. "Let me lead this time."

* * *

Several songs (and clumsy trips) later, Hinoka still hadn't managed to get the hang of much.

"I'm sorry, Camilla…dancing just isn't my thing, I think," said Hinoka.

"It's fine." Camilla looked to the ground. "It was I who suggested coming here, after all. This place is awful. I'm sorry for putting you in this undesirable position."

Hinoka wrapped her arms around Camilla.

"Even though I don't dance, I'm still happy about the time we've spent together here. So don't beat yourself up about it." She kissed her.

All of Camilla's worries dissolved the instant their lips met.

"Woo! Keep it up, ya fucking dykes!" screamed a man standing in the corner.

Hinoka immediately broke away and narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Keep your comments to yourself or I'm gonna come over there and make you!"

The man raised has hands and left the vicinity.

Camilla sighed.

"I'm never bringing you here again. If you don't mind, I'm going to get a drink. Would you like to come with me?"

"I think I'm good for now," said Hinoka. "Though I do kinda need to use the washroom. I'll meet you at the bar when I get out."

"Sounds good," said Camilla. She went over to the bar.

Odin waved, his nose bright red. A full glass of red wine was in his hand.

"Hey! I came up with a great name for you guys!"

"Is that so? What is it?" asked Camilla.

Odin put the glass of wine down and raised his arms.

"Behold! The greatest couple in this tavern shall henceforth be called Caminoka!"

Camilla raised an eyebrow, then smiled.

"You took the first part of my name and the last part of Hinoka's. I can't say much for originality, but it's fitting. Thank you, Odin."

"Glad you like it!" Odin's watch beeped. He stood. "Man, I gotta get back to work! By the way, I ordered your usual drink. I figured you'd want one at some point."

Camilla looked at the glass of wine on the counter. She took a sip.

"Thank you very much." She watched as Odin stumbled to his spot beside Lazward.

A few minutes later, Hinoka reappeared.

"Ready to get back out there?"

"Almost," said Camilla. She put her glass down. "Since you're back, I need to use the washroom as well. Watch my drink, please."

Hinoka nodded as Camilla headed for the washroom.

The washroom floor was covered in dirt and grime, with a collection of various liquids on the floor near the sink. One of the two stall's doors had fallen off and leaned against the side of the unit.

Camilla grimaced as she entered the remaining stall, noticing a glory hole as she sat on the toilet. As she did her business, she realised how red her light blue underwear had gotten. She groaned and fixed herself up before exiting the washroom.

The scene she found herself in was unexpected, to say the least.

Hinoka was eye to eye with the man who made the earlier rude comment, pinning him to the ground.

"I swear if you come near me or my girlfriend's drink again-"

"Girlfriend? You're a faker. Everyone knows girls only kiss each other to make guys horny," said the man.

Hinoka rammed her foot into the man's crotch. He wailed.

The music stopped for a moment, then continued as Odin controlled the DJ booth. Lazward marched over to the man.

"What's going on? Hinoka, why are you pinning this man to the ground?"

"He tried to slip something in Camilla's drink!" cried Hinoka.

Lazward shook his head.

"Let him go. I'll handle this."

Hinoka removed her hands from the man's body and walked over to Camilla.

"Let's go home, I can't stand being another second in this place."

"Agreed," said Camilla. She wrapped her arm around Hinoka's and walked her out.

* * *

Hinoka spoke as Camilla drive her home.

"I almost didn't notice him," said Hinoka. "I turn my back for a second and there he is! People can be so terrible."

"The important thing is that he didn't succeed," said Camilla. She wrapped her arm around Hinoka's shoulder. "Thank you, Hinoka. If it weren't for you…"

"D-Don't mention it." Hinoka blushed as she played with her hands.

Camilla grinned.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"I-I am not!"

"The redder you are, the cuter you are," said Camilla. She played with Hinoka's hair.

"S-shouldn't you have both hands on the wheel?"

"One is perfectly fine," said Camilla. "Plus, we're pulling up to your driveway as we speak."

Hinoka looked out the window.

"Oh. Right. That was fast…"

They sat in the driveway, not speaking for minutes.

Hinoka sighed.

"Even though I couldn't dance and the establishment is terrible, I still enjoyed myself tonight."

"Is that so? I'm glad…"

Camilla leaned over and kissed Hinoka, who wrapped her arms around Camilla. Hinoka squeaked as Camilla slid her tongue into her mouth. It wasn't long before they began to make out.

Camilla grunted as Hinoka dug her nails into her back. A familiar feeling rose inside Camilla's groin as she shoved Hinoka into the side of the car. She slid her hand down Hinoka's top and stroked her breast.

"Wait!" said Hinoka, removing her lips. "We need to stop before we get too into it. I'm on my period."

Camilla remembered how red her own underwear was and groaned. She removed her hands from Hinoka and sat back in the driver's seat.

"…As luck would have it, I'm on mine too. I got it while we were out, I completely forgot. I'm sorry."

"I-it's fine," said Hinoka. Her face was still scarlet. "A-anyway, I had fun today. I should get out of this car now."

"O-okay," said Camilla. "I'll see you sometime later this week, then…"

Hinoka kissed Camilla once more before she exited the car.

"See you, Camilla."

Camilla waited until Hinoka closed the front door behind her before she backed out of the driveway and began to head home.

 _Just my luck_ , thought Camilla. She squirmed at how wet her underwear felt. _Next week, I'll take her to the river again._


	4. Sinful

**Forgive me, I failed to mention last chapter that this one would be a Camilla POV again. This site has become so secondary to AO3 for me that I forget to put my notes here. Anyway, please enjoy.**

* * *

Camilla clasped her hands as she stared at the horse trail. Having cut her nails the previous day, it was an unusual feeling. She leaned over the veranda's railing, a newly knitted white scarf slung over her shoulder.

Leo exited the house and stood beside her.

"Got a date tonight?"

Camilla smiled.

"Not quite. Something much better."

Leo grinned.

"The river?"

"The river."

"Excellent. It's the perfect place," said Leo. He chuckled. "Just be aware that it might rain later. I took Takumi down there some time ago. We had to leave almost immediately since he had allergic reactions to everything there."

"That's unfortunate. I would've expected him to be used to that kind of thing, since he's an archer and all." She began to laugh. "Then again, you're the genius and you keep using Marth when you play him in Smash."

"I do not!" said Leo. "I mean…I used Lucina the other day."

"And she has the same move set and is related to who…?"

"S-shut up!" said Leo. His cheeks reddened. He shook his head. "Anyway, I think we're pretty lucky to have met the Hoshido siblings."

"That we are," said Camilla. "I can't imagine what like would be like if you hadn't met Takumi, to be honest. I hope my cute and pretty Hinoka and I can someday attain the same kind of relationship that you two have."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Though I'm still not sure how to tell Xander and Elise," said Leo.

"Just act like it's the way you've always been."

"But it hasn't been that way!"

"Seriously, act like you normally do," said Camilla. "I don't think Xander and Elise will care. They care about what their smart brother wants too, of course!"

Leo nodded and turned to enter the house.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I'll figure out what to do in a bit. Anyway, I'll talk to you later; look at the trail."

"Huh?" Camilla looked at the trail and saw Hinoka dismount Tianma. Bag on her shoulder, she ran up to Camilla and smiled.

"Hey."

"Hello, my adorable Hinoka!" said Camilla. She took the scarf off her shoulder and handed it to Hinoka. "For you."

Hinoka accepted the scarf and ran her hand along it.

"It's beautiful! And so soft! Did…did you make this for me?"

Camilla petted Hinoka's hair.

"Of course."

Hinoka wrapped it around her neck and grinned.

"I love it! Thank you!" She looked around. "So…you gonna get your horse so we can do this?"

Camilla leaned over and kissed Hinoka before shaking her head.

"Actually, I was thinking…that day we met, you rode off with Takumi sitting behind you. By any chance, would your horse mind if I rode with you?"

Hinoka raised her eyebrow for a moment. It lowered as her eyes widened and a blush crept upon her face.

"O-oh. Y-yeah, it shouldn't be a problem…alright then, let's get going."

Camilla took Hinoka's hand as they walked over to Tianma. Hinoka mounted her horse and helped Camilla get up behind her.

"All secure back there?" asked Hinoka.

Wrapping her arms around Hinoka, Camilla leaned onto her partner's back.

"I am now."

"R-right then," said Hinoka. She took the reins and commanded Tianma.

* * *

"So Takumi's at an archery tournament and Sakura went with him. They're probably not gonna be back until later tonight- Hey, are you listening?"

Camilla was doing her best to listen, but the feeling of her groin going back and forth and rubbing against Hinoka's backside was taking her attention away.

"I heard you! Sakura and Takumi are going to play with some bows!" She swore she could feel Hinoka putting a hand to her forehead.

"…Anyway, we're almost there!" A few minutes later, Tianma stopped at the post. The two women dismounted him and entered the woods.

* * *

"It looks as clear as it did last time," said Hinoka. She dipped her hand into the water. "It's a nice temperature too."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Camilla pulled her dress off in an instant, revealing her bikini.

Hinoka stared, her jaw agape.

"W-wow…I didn't wear mine here. I need to put it on."

Camilla grinned.

"Go right ahead and put it on here. I won't look."

"O-okay then." Hinoka turned and threw her bag to the ground. She pulled her skirt off, her top soon following. She pulled a red bikini out of her bag.

Camilla continued to look at Hinoka, passion rising in her loins. What a muscular body…she could see her abs from the side, knowing they'd be perfect.

Hinoka glanced over at Camilla as she finished putting her bathing suit on. She blushed.

"I-I thought you said you wouldn't look!"

"That I did, but truly…how could I not watch my beautiful, cute, and sexy Hinoka undress?"

"L-let's get inside," said Hinoka. She dove into the river.

Camilla followed suit, leaping in and landing beside Hinoka. As Hinoka rose above the water, Camilla patted her head.

"I like seeing you wet."

Hinoka's face went scarlet.

"Um…same to you."

Camilla giggled.

"I've been waiting to see you up close like this, you know."

"H-huh? What do you mean?" asked Hinoka.

"Well…you know how I've always been outside and waving at you whenever you pass by my house on the trail?"

"Yeah…what about it?"

Camilla sighed.

"Truthfully, I've seen you every day since you started riding by. The first day I saw you, I was expecting Leo to come home. So when I heard the clopping, I assumed it was him. Instead, you appeared. I didn't think of it much then, aside from realising that a new person was on the trail.

"On the next day, I was relaxing on the porch. You shouted and I was so surprised that I dropped my drink."

"…Sorry?"

Camilla wrapped her arm around Hinoka's waist.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, the day right after that…considering that you nearly ran me down, I think you remember that day too. But it was then that I finally got to see you up close for the first time, which made me quite happy."

"…Sounds fair, I guess," said Hinoka. "But what does this have to do with wanting to see me wet?"

"A couple days later, I'd figured out the time you normally ride by. Though I didn't expect you to come, you did anyway. Seeing you in the rain like that…it greatly excited me. I could see your willpower, and trust me when I say I love powerful women. You're the most powerful woman I know."

Hinoka wrapped her arms around Camilla and quickly kissed her.

"Hmmm…if you're going to tell me something like that, then I also have something to tell."

Camilla cocked her head.

"Oh? What is it?"

"W-well…back when I was sick, I had a very, uh…sexual dream involving you."

Camilla laughed.

"I'm sure it was a lovely dream. After all, you were moaning my name out."

"I-I was?!" Hinoka put her hand on her face. "…So anyway…we were on a magic carpet, riding through the desert. You were singing _A Whole New World_. And then…you told me you were gonna ravage me."

Camilla smiled devilishly.

"So what did I do to you?"

"You…you licked my breasts and belly, t-then…you stuck your tongue inside my…my…"

"Shh," said Camilla. "I think I know what happened. Relax, when the first time comes, I'll guide you every step of the way."

"T-Thank you."

The two swam in silence for several minutes before Camilla floated on her back and looked into the sky.

 _Looks like it could rain soon. A little rain would be nice, actually. As long as it doesn't storm while we're out here…_

"Aww man, my top came off!"

Camilla looked over at Hinoka, her tiny breasts exposed. Their nipples were erect.

"I can't find it anywhere…damn it!"

Camilla swam over and looked around.

"No, I can't find it either. I'm sorry, Hinoka."

"…It's fine," said Hinoka. "We're alone out here, after all. Not like someone's gonna come and yell at us for being exposed in public."

"Very true," said Camilla. She smirked as she took her own top off and threw it on land. Swimming next to Hinoka, she took her hand.

Hinoka looked at Camilla's exposed breasts, covering her face with her free hand.

"You may look," said Camilla.

Hinoka lowered her hand and stared.

"I…um…I knew they were big but…w-wow."

Camilla grinned. She slowly pulled her partner's hand closer, letting it go as she rested it on her boob.

"You may touch them as much as you like."

Hinoka continued to blush as she rubbed Camilla's breast. Her fingers circled Camilla's nipples, causing them to harden.

Camilla reached for Hinoka's groin, stroking her inner thigh.

Hinoka moaned, causing Camilla to stroke even quicker. She shuddered as she embraced Camilla.

A crack of thunder sounded in the distance.

Camilla took her hand away, causing Hinoka to glare.

"What do you think you're doing? Finish me off!"

"I would love to, my dear, but I think we should get home before it starts to storm. I promise to make it up to you when we get home."

"Good!" said Hinoka. She climbed out of the river and dried herself off.

"I'm sorry, Hinoka. Let's prepare ourselves to go."

* * *

As they rode to Hinoka's house, the rain came down in a torrent. The wind whipped Camilla's face as the thunder roared. She rested her face on Hinoka's back.

"We're almost there! Hold on!"

* * *

Camilla shivered as she and Hinoka entered the house. Her dress stuck to her skin, exposing her body.

"First thing's first," said Hinoka. Her clothes dripped as she walked up the stairs. "Dry towels."

Unable to take her dress off in as swift of a motion as before, Camilla slid out of her dress and threw it to the side, throwing her undergarments on top. She walked into the living room as her attention moved to its floor. The floor was completely covered in an olive coloured carpet, a table pulled close to the couch. Camilla couldn't help but notice how much space was between the table and the television.

Hinoka entered the room, two towels in her arms.

"Here you go- Hey, where'd your clothes go?"

"Hmm?" Camilla turned and took a pastel pink towel, wrapping it around her body. "Oh, I threw them aside for now. It was more than a little uncomfortable to wear, considering how much it rained."

"I see…" Hinoka stripped her clothes off and wrapped herself in the remaining brown towel.

Camilla continued to shiver. Hinoka put a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe we should shower? You know…to heat up?"

A boom sounded from outside.

Camilla shook her head.

"It's still storming out. We may get electrocuted if we try. Which is tragic, since I'm rather fond of baths and showers. But I have an idea."

Hinoka sighed.

"Alright then. What is it?"

Camilla smirked.

"I am going to pleasure you right here on the living room floor."

Hinoka's eyes went wide as she gasped. Her face was the reddest Camilla had ever seen it.

"W-what?! We can't just do that!"

Camilla put a hand on her hip.

"Why not?"

"B-because! What if Takumi and Sakura get back afterwards and see traces of our…union?"

"Trust me, I've already considered that," said Camilla. "I need you to get me some things, though."

Hinoka nodded.

"What do you need? I'll try to find whatever it is."

Camilla winked.

"First, I need you to get a bed sheet. That way, we won't get anything on the floor. Then, I need a bottle of air freshener. It'll kill the smell. Finally, we need a few condoms. Surely Takumi has some we can take?"

"I'm sure he does, considering how anal he can be."

Camilla snickered.

Hinoka put a hand to her face.

"What are you, twelve? You know what I meant!"

"Sorry, sorry." Camilla snickered once more. "So yeah, if he's got condoms, bring some here."

Hinoka raised an eyebrow as she ran upstairs.

Camilla entered the kitchen and found a pair of scissors on the counter. She brought them into the living room.

Hinoka returned a few minutes later with a white bed sheet and a bottle of air freshener. A few condoms were pinched between her fingers. She placed everything on the table.

"Okay, I grabbed everything. But why do we need the condoms?"

Camilla spread the bed sheet on the floor before answering.

"Let me show you," said Camilla, opening one of the condoms. She stretched the condom out and picked up the scissors, cutting one side from the base to the tip. She smoothed it out on the table showed Hinoka.

"It's broken," said Hinoka. "All I see is a sheet of latex."

"This isn't merely latex." Camilla winked. "It's a dental dam!"

"H-huh? Like the ones dentists use on their patients? Just what are we gonna do with _that_?"

"I'm going to use it when I go down on you," said Camilla, licking her lips. "I'm guessing you probably haven't been tested lately. I haven't been tested lately myself, so until then we should play it safe."

Hinoka gulped as her face reddened.

"Y-you're right about me not being tested, but…I didn't know you could use a dental dam for sex."

"I don't blame you," said Camilla. She put the dam on the table and took a step closer to Hinoka. "The sex education curriculum in this country is awful."

"That it is," said Hinoka. She wrapped her arms around Camilla and kissed her.

Camilla kissed back, pulling on Hinoka's towel. It fell to the ground, completely exposing Hinoka's body. Her hand snaked down Hinoka's back and grabbed her ass.

"Hinoka, you are without a doubt…the sexiest woman I've ever met."

"S-same to you," said Hinoka. She pulled Camilla's towel off and threw it to the side. Taking a few steps back, she took Camilla over to the bed sheet. She crouched and leaned back, lying on the sheet.

Camilla was directly on top of her, hungrily continuing to kiss. She slid her tongue into Hinoka's mouth, rubbing it against her teeth and the inside of her cheek. Breaking the kiss, she began to lick her partner's neck. Slowly she went licked down to and between Hinoka's breasts.

A small moan escaped from Hinoka. She wrapped her legs around Camilla's.

"T-this is kind of like how my dream went."

Camilla spoke, her tongue still between Hinoka's breasts.

"Allow me to prove that reality is much nicer than any old dream."

She ran her tongue across Hinoka's breast, circling it shortly before closing her lips around the nipple. Simultaneously sucking and rubbing her tongue against it, Camilla felt Hinoka shudder. Soon after, she ran her tongue along Hinoka's chest and did the same thing to her other breast.

"C-Camilla…" Hinoka put her hands on Camilla's ass. "P-Please…go lower."

Camilla was more than pleased to move her body lower, running her tongue down to Hinoka's crotch. She reached over and grabbed the dam, putting it over Hinoka's labia.

"It feels weird, sitting on there," said Hinoka. "B-but I didn't say stop!"

Camilla giggled as she stuck her tongue into Hinoka's pussy. She made sure to brush her clit as she slowly went in and out.

Hinoka moaned as her back arched. Her legs tightened around Camilla's head, forcing her face closer.

"M-more! I need more!" cried Hinoka.

"Spread your legs and I'll give you my fingers," said Camilla.

Hinoka very slowly loosened her legs, freeing Camilla's head.

Camilla got on her knees and licked and sucked her fingers, waiting for Hinoka's reaction.

"Uuuuh…" She squirmed. Her scarlet face and wide eyes told Camilla everything.

"You really are the cutest," said Camilla. "Are you ready?"

"Yes! It's just a little fingering, so come on!" said Hinoka.

Camilla grinned as she inserted her finger into Hinoka.

"T-this…is surprisingly unpainful," said Hinoka.

"Is that so? I cut my nails yesterday, so I'm glad it wasn't a waste," said Camilla. She stuck another finger in.

"M-more," croaked Hinoka.

Camilla put a third finger in and began to slowly move them in and out. Her pace increased as Hinoka began to breathe faster.

"Ngh…I c-can't take much more," said Hinoka. "Yet…I don't feel like I'll…ride me, Camilla!"

Camilla removed her fingers and got on her hands, putting the dental dam to the side. She lined herself up with Hinoka's body and leaned in close. Her voice lowered.

"Make me."

Hinoka pulled Camilla in for a kiss. Camilla took her chance to rapidly rub her groin against Hinoka's, her hair tickling Camilla.

"I'm…I'm gonna…" Hinoka yelped as she climaxed, pulling Camilla's body against her own.

The noise Hinoka made caused Camilla to orgasm herself. She made a low moan, suddenly aware of her own wetness as she pushed the arms around her away and straddled Hinoka. Putting her hands on Hinoka's breasts, she grinned.

"My sweet one…did you enjoy yourself?"

Hinoka panted and nodded.

"Thanks for that...my only complaint is that…you didn't use your hands enough."

"I properly pleasure you for the first time and you complain about it?" Camilla stuck her tongue out and winked. "Then again...people often do compliment me on how good I am with my hands. My adorable Hinoka is naughtier than expected."

"If you consider that to naughty, you haven't seen anything," said Hinoka. She sat and shoved Camilla to the ground before getting up.

Camilla giggled in her spot.

"Oh my…I went vanilla on you since it was your first time, but if you're into that-"

"Huh?" Hinoka straddled Camilla, placing a newly created dam on the floor beside her.

"Nothing," said Camilla.

Hinoka smirked.

"Now that you've shown me the basics…I'm going to try doing you."

The phone in the kitchen rang.

"Whoever that is can wait," said Hinoka. "Screwing you is all I want to do right now."

Camilla's heart leapt as she squeaked.

 _I can't believe it…Hinoka is so brave and assertive. And she's all mine…_

* * *

By the time their fourth round had finished, Camilla was finally starting to get tired.

Hinoka's abs were _definitely_ not just for show. She showed no signs of slowing as she ravenously grinded against Camilla's crotch.

Camilla's back arched as she hit her climax. She lay limp, her breathing going slow and deep.

"I think…I've had enough for tonight," said Camilla.

"Really?" Hinoka leaned down and kissed her partner's breast. "Well, I guess it can't be helped."

"Thank you. But…H-Hinoka, you're such a natural at this. Just where have you been all my life? I wish we could have met at Magvel."

"You sure about that?" Hinoka kissed Camilla again. "I don't think we would've been like this. The circumstances would've been completely different. Honestly, if I met you back then, I probably would've hated you."

"…Perhaps you're right. I would die if my cute Hinoka were to hate me," said Camilla.

Hinoka moved herself off of Camilla and sat beside her.

"Then it's a good thing we met last month, huh?"

"Of course." Camilla sat and gazed around. The bed sheet was stained all over from their lovemaking. Exactly four used dental dams were scattered around.

"So," said Camilla, "since we're not going to continue, we should probably clean-"

The front door opened, two sets of feet entering.

Camilla's heart stopped, panic rushing through her body at breakneck speed. She lowered her voice.

"Oh no."

Hinoka whispered back.

"Damn it! I considered that the tournament could end early because of the storm! This is why we should've done it somewhere more private!"

"Then why didn't you say that earlier?"

"I was turned on! I wasn't thinking straight!" said Hinoka.

"That much is clear, considering how you and I fucked four times altogether!"

"Just get into the other room," hissed Hinoka.

Camilla rose as fast as she could and picked the towels off the floor before wandering into the next room. Inside it was a desk with a computer on top and a swivel chair. Camilla quickly wrapped the towels around herself.

She hid behind the door and watched as Hinoka took the bed sheet and rolled it around her body. Hinoka stood just in time for Takumi and Sakura to enter the room.

"Hey, we're back. It ended up getting cancelled and-" Takumi stared at Hinoka. "…Why are you dressed like that?"

"I…uh…"

"That bed sheet looks pretty soaked…" said Sakura.

"N-no, it isn't!"

"And there's strands of not only your hair on that, but also some long violet hair!" said Takumi. He smirked. "Sakura, I think it's time you pay up."

"Fine…" Sakura turned and ran up the stairs.

"Ugh! I told you, don't gamble with Sakura!" said Hinoka.

… _Gambling? Is that what Takumi was about?_ Camilla giggled.

Hinoka and Takumi looked in Camilla's direction.

"…You can come out now," said Hinoka.

Camilla exited the room and winked at Takumi.

"So you're a gambler, huh? I wonder if Leo approves of that thing…anyway, sorry for making a mess of your living room. I'll clean it up right now." She picked up the dams.

Takumi furrowed his brow.

"Hey, those kind of look like…wait a minute, those were _mine_!"

"Sorry, Takumi, but safety knows no boundaries," said Camilla. She entered the kitchen and threw them away.

Camilla could hear Hinoka and Takumi in the other room.

"Why didn't you buy your own?!"

"I didn't even know you could do that with them!"

"Whatever! Those were expensive! You owe me!"

"No way! I'm broke and so are you!"

"Which is exactly why you owe me!"

"You're gonna be richer than me when Sakura pays you!"

"Well, maybe we should get her opinion!"

Peeking around the corner, Camilla watched as the nattering siblings ran upstairs.

 _Hmmm…I should probably leave them._

Camilla yawned as she went back into the living room, the soreness in her crotch and legs hitting her at the same time. She fell onto the couch and saw a pillow and blanket at the end.

 _I think I'll take a nap._

She went and picked her bikini bottom off the floor and put them on before lying on the couch. Wrapping herself in the blanket and moving the pillow under her head, Camilla fell asleep shortly afterwards.

* * *

Camilla awoke when she heard the front door shut. She lifted her head and gazed outside. The rain had ceased; the sky was pitch black, only illuminated by the city lights and the moon.

Someone walked into the room.

Looking over to see who it was, Camilla found herself unable to recognize who it was.

A towering man entered the room, his spiky brunette mullet swishing behind. His eyes wandered around the room, then stopped on Camilla. They widened as he made eye contact.

"…Who are you?"

Camilla yawned and shrugged.

"I'm a lady."

"…Okay, lady, why are you here?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess I should be sleeping upstairs," said Camilla. She pushed the blanket aside and ran upstairs.

Entering Hinoka's room, she saw her half wrapped in a blanket, hanging off the bed. Camilla took the opportunity to lie on the other side, pulling the blanket over herself. She carefully pulled Hinoka back onto the bed.

The man stood outside the door. His teeth were bared.

"I would remove yourself from my sister's bed. Otherwise, I'll do it for you."

"Shhh, Hinoka is sleeping," said Camilla. "Trust me, I'm a friend."

"If you're a friend, then how come I haven't met you? And Hinoka doesn't let her friends lay naked with her in bed," said the man.

"Okay, I'm a little more than a friend. But I can't really explain why we've never met."

"Ah…" Hinoka moved her arm around and patted the bed before she extended it across Camilla. "Stop that, Camilla…I'm trying to sleep."

The man's expression softened.

"…We'll discuss this in the morning." He closed the door.

* * *

"…Hey. Camilla. When did you get here?"

Camilla opened her eyes and found Hinoka looking down at her. She yawned.

"Mmmm…I crawled in here last night when some guy came in and asked me who I was and why I was here. He seemed…I don't know, angry with me? So I moved up here."

Hinoka raised an eyebrow.

"What did this guy look like?"

"He had a lot of spiky hair. Last night he followed me as I came in here. I think he calmed down a bit when you told me to be quiet. Do you remember that?"

"No, I don't," said Hinoka. Her eyes widened. "Hold on, that sounds like Ryoma! He must've finally got back last night!"

"Your brother? That would explain a few things," said Camilla.

"I gotta see him." Hinoka hopped out of bed. She put on some mismatched clothes on before leaving the room.

Camilla slipped out of bed and looked around. A white robe hung on the back of the door.

 _Perhaps I should wear that._ She put the robe on and exited the room.

Four sets of eyes greeted Camilla as she walked into the kitchen. Freezing in place, she forced a smile.

"Good morning."

Ryoma's expression remained the same.

"Please sit."

Camilla took a seat at the end of the table, next to Hinoka and Takumi.

Ryoma spoke again.

"You never gave me a proper answer last night. Who are you?"

"Me? My name is Camilla. You must be Ryoma. Surely you've heard of me through Takumi?"

"I have," said Ryoma. "And why are you here?"

"I'm here because I was spending the day with your sister. We got rained out and we-" She caught herself. "…I ended up spending the night here."

Ryoma nodded.

"Last night, you said you were…a little more than friends with Hinoka. Could you please elabo-"

"L-let me explain," said Hinoka. "Y-You see, Ryoma…Camilla and I met for the first time about a month ago. You'd left for Japan about a couple months ago, right? A-anyway, we started hanging out and…"

"…And what?" asked Ryoma.

"…We started dating," said Hinoka, laying her head on the table. "We've talked almost every day for the past few weeks."

Ryoma chuckled.

"Is that all? Then there's nothing wrong with that. I wasn't certain who she was when I saw Camilla last night, and when I saw her climb into your bed…I just wanted to ensure that such a thing was consensual. Your actions told me it was. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," said Camilla. "You only did what was natural. If I were in the same position, that's certainly what I would do."

"Well, I was a little nervous after Hinoka failed to answer both her cell and the home phone," said Ryoma.

Hinoka raised her head and rubbed her neck. She blushed.

"Yeah…sorry about that. I guess I was a little caught up with…yeah…"

Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

Takumi cried out.

"They used my condoms, Dad!"

Ryoma raised a hand to his face.

"Takumi, no matter how much I resemble him, I'm not your dad. As for the condoms, please don't talk about that kind of thing in front of Sakura."

"D-don't worry about it, Ryoma…" said Sakura. "I'm already aware of this kind of thing."

Ryoma sighed.

"…Alright then. I'll buy you some new ones. Just abstain from doing anything with Leo until then."

"I…" Takumi's face turned crimson.

"You're not fooling anyone, Takumi. I'm fine with Hinoka's relationship and I'm fine with yours. Relax, please."

Takumi smiled.

"O-okay…thanks, Ryoma."

Ryoma nodded and turned to Camilla.

"As for you…make sure Hinoka doesn't get into trouble. She can be rather protective, as I'm sure you already know."

"Of course," said Camilla.

"H-huh? What are you going on about?" said Hinoka.

Ryoma smiled and looked at her.

"You know what I mean. Anyway, I was thinking…will you need your own room when we go to Tanabata this year?"

"M-my own room?" Hinoka looked at Camilla and blushed.

"Mmm? What's this about?" Camilla cocked her head.

Hinoka took Camilla's hand.

"Every year, my family goes to a little Japanese town up north to celebrate Tanabata. We stay a night and make a trip of it. Leo came with us last year."

"I see," said Camilla. "I remember that, actually."

"That's good," said Hinoka. "Anyway, I think Ryoma is suggesting I get my own room this year because of you. And…if you're available, I'd like you to come along."

"You're correct," said Ryoma. "Think on it a bit, Camilla. It sounds like you haven't known each other long, so forgive us if this feels too soon."

"Not at all!" said Camilla. "I would love to come with you! To spend a night with my cute Hinoka at a festival…yes, please!"

"Then it's settled," said Ryoma. "You're coming with us. If anything changes between now and then, please let us know. The festival is only a little over a month away. May you and my sister maintain a good relationship until then."

"T-thank you, Dad- I mean, Ryoma!" said Hinoka. She looked as if she were about to run and hug Ryoma, though she ultimately didn't.

"Yes, thank you Ryoma," said Camilla. She grinned. "I look forward to it."

* * *

 **First time writing sex. It's pretty early in the morning here, so if I made any grammatical mistakes or typos throughout the chapter please let me know.**


	5. Tanabata Wishes

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Elise. We'll be there soon."

"Go for a nap," said Takumi. He yawned and leaned into the door of the car, laying his head on a pillow.

"But I'm not tired!" said Elise.

Takumi groaned.

"Why are you and your brother here again?"

"Takumi! Don't be rude!" said Hinoka, slapping his arm. "I'm sorry Xander, he's moody when he's tired."

"Elise wanted to go after hearing two of her siblings were going this year," said Xander. He stared straight ahead, hands on the wheel. "And I'm here because I am also curious about this festival."

"I wasn't seriously asking," said Takumi. He sulked as he closed his eyes and attempted to nap.

"…Thank you again for driving, Xander," said Hinoka.

Xander nodded and continued to stare at the road.

Hinoka leaned back and sighed.

Camilla had insisted she be in a car with Leo in order to prevent something from happening, which Takumi hastily agreed to. What that something was, Hinoka didn't know. Though it seemed like the two couples could share a car, Ryoma insisted on taking the car with Camilla to spend some more time getting to know her. Sakura then wanted to go with Ryoma, leaving Hinoka, Takumi, Elise, and Xander to the other car. Hinoka sat beside Takumi in the back seat while Xander and Elise sat at the front.

 _At least this arrangement gives me some time to relax_ , thought Hinoka. _I wonder how everyone in the other car is doing…_

ooooooooooooooo

Camilla and Leo were in the front while Ryoma and Sakura sat in the back. Leo was screaming obscenities at the neighbouring car.

"S-stop saying things like that!" cried Sakura.

"No! That asshole should be following the rules of the road!" said Leo.

"Enough! Leo, pull over! I will drive," said Ryoma.

"…That would probably be for the best. I'm sorry I even offered." Leo pulled the car over and switched spots with Ryoma.

"This is why I said to not let my brother drive," said Camilla.

oooooooooooooo

Hinoka was still amazed at how Camilla had gone from an awkward acquaintance to romantic partner. When she first met her, Hinoka would've never imagined bringing her to Tanabata, let alone kissing or having sex. Years ago, she would've dismissed her feelings as high respect. Until meeting Camilla, the thought of finding herself attracted to another woman seldom passed through her mind.

She still couldn't explain why she'd fallen so quickly for her. Maybe it was because of Camilla's assertiveness on the whole dating matter. Or, perhaps, her doting personality. Maybe she was _that_ attractive.

"Maybe it's all of that…" Hinoka whispered to herself.

Her phone rang; she answered.

"My adorable Hinoka! How are you?"

Hinoka felt her lips turn upwards.

"I'm doing fine, Camilla. What's up?"

"How wonderful! Anyway, I'm calling you now because Ryoma said that we're going to hang out at a place called Sapporo Peak. Apparently the people in our rooms have an extremely late check-out time today. He said you'd know where to go, so please direct Xander!"

"Got it! Thanks!" said Hinoka. "I'll talk to you later. I hope you remembered to bring your bathing suit."

* * *

"That's a cute bathing suit," said Hinoka.

Camilla's face reddened as she giggled.

"I'm glad you like it. I picked it out with you in mind."

"The white and red stripes make a good combo," said Hinoka.

Camilla slung a bag over her shoulder and knocked on the window of the car. Leo rolled it down.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Nope."

"Aww, how come?" asked Camilla.

"Sapporo Point is a very tall cliff," said Hinoka.

Camilla grinned.

"Oh, alright. But Takumi has to stay with you."

Takumi perked at the sound of his name.

"Huh?"

"Just do what you did last year," said Hinoka. She turned to Ryoma. "Wanna do the tradition?"

"Hmmm…yes. But we really should stop doing this soon, it's rather childish," said Ryoma.

"This'll be the last time, I promise." Hinoka turned to Camilla and smiled. "Every time we come here, Ryoma and I race barefoot to the cliff."

"I see…if you win, I'll be sure to reward you later," said Camilla. She winked.

Hinoka's face went scarlet as she smiled.

Sakura spoke.

"Um…Hinoka? Ryoma already started."

Hinoka looked behind her and saw Ryoma running away.

"Hey, I didn't say go! Sakura, you show Camilla and Elise how to get here, I gotta run!"

Hinoka sprinted, quickly catching up to Ryoma. They ran side by side, racing through the grass and avoiding stones. Ryoma gradually overtook Hinoka in speed, causing Hinoka to increase her speed even further.

"You've gotten even faster since you left," said Hinoka.

"I can't hear you!" said Ryoma. He looked at Hinoka and grinned. As he turned back to focus on the road ahead, he came to a halt; a group of children were suddenly in front of him.

Hinoka laughed as she wove through the crowd of children and reached the cliff. She ran to the edge and leapt, diving in one swift motion. The water made Hinoka's skin tingle, still somewhat cold. Raising her head above the water, she pumped her fist. She looked up and saw some children looking over the jutting edge.

A moment later Ryoma jumped, several children coming in behind him.

"Whoa!" Hinoka moved to the side as Ryoma crashed in next to her, the kids dropping into the lake one by one. Ryoma appeared above the water a moment later.

"I guess you win this time."

Hinoka grinned as a child swam next to her, giving the kid a high-five.

"Yeah, looks like I did. Tough luck, bro," said Hinoka.

"But of course, if Camilla hadn't given you some motivation-"

"What? That wasn't it!" cried Hinoka. "I mean, it certainly did given me _some_ motivation, but I just wanted to beat you this time!"

"You sound too much like your little brother," said Ryoma.

"Quiet, you!" Hinoka splashed Ryoma.

"It'll take a little more than a splash to-"

"Whee!" Elise landed in the water between Hinoka and Ryoma, a wide smile plastered across her face as she came up. "This place is so cool!"

"Elise! When did you get here?" asked Hinoka.

"Just now!" Elise swam around Ryoma, who grinned.

"We didn't park very far from here. I guess running here every year makes you forget how close it is."

Elise cocked her head.

"I don't get it, but…I'm gonna jump again! How do you get back up?"

Hinoka pointed at the face of the cliff. Most of the kids were climbing it.

"Um…" Elise's face went pale. "I don't really know how to climb this…"

"I'll give you a hand," said Hinoka. "Grab my back."

Elise did as told, holding onto Hinoka as she swam to the face and began to climb. Ryoma climbed next to them.

"I'm surprised you weren't scared of jumping in," said Ryoma.

"Well Sakura said the water was really deep! So I thought I'd jump, no matter how high the cliff was!" said Elise. "Does she like to jump?"

"Not really," said Hinoka. "You seem quite a bit braver than her."

As the group reached the top of the cliff, Hinoka saw Sakura walk over with Camilla and Xander.

"You made it!" said Elise. She crawled over Hinoka and ran to Camilla, hugging her. She grabbed her hand and pulled. "Come on, let's jump together!"

Camilla giggled.

"Maybe in a little bit. I want to check some things out first."

Elise groaned before she ran and jumped off. Ryoma quickly pulled himself up and jumped down after her.

Hinoka dragged herself up and panted as she sat. Camilla took her hand and pulled her up into a hug.

"You helped my sister up. I'm so glad to see you getting along."

"Well, she seemed a little scared," said Hinoka.

Camilla kissed Hinoka and pet her soaking hair.

"Thank you. Now, can I get you to help me with something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

Camilla let her go and began to walk over to Xander and Sakura. Xander held the bag Camilla brought, while Sakura had Hinoka's towel in her hands.

Before she could make it, a child ran past her and caused her to stumble. Camilla teetered toward the edge of the cliff.

Hinoka took Camilla's hand, stopping her before she fell. She pulled her into her arms and and glared at the child.

"Quit running around, you're going to hurt someone!"

Camilla giggled.

"You sure do love saving me, don't you?"

"If you fell there, you could've gotten hurt!" said Hinoka. "Unless you do a running jump, it's only safe to jump from the jutting edge."

"You are so cute." Camilla rubbed Hinoka's cheek.

"Hey, um…we have your stuff here," said Sakura. She and Xander stood next to Camilla.

"Thanks!" Hinoka took the towel from her sister. She turned to Camilla, who had taken the bag from Xander.

"Come over here," said Camilla. She walked to a spot further back, away from the cliff's edges. Pulling a towel out of her bag and laying it on the ground, she waved for Hinoka to come closer. She took a bottle of sunscreen out of her bag.

Hinoka blushed.

"Do you…want me to rub some of that on your back?"

"…Two and a half months in and you already know me too well," said Camilla. She kneeled on the towel and handed the bottle to Hinoka.

Hinoka squirted some of the lotion onto her hands and slowly rubbed Camilla's back. She could feel Camilla quivering; she picked up her speed.

"Mmmm…your hands are so strong," said Camilla.

Hinoka pressed harder. Her eyes fell upon Ryoma as he pulled himself onto the cliff, Elise on his back.

"Hey, where are our sisters?" Elise jumped off of Ryoma and ran over to Xander.

"Over here!" said Hinoka.

Ryoma and Sakura looked over. Their eyes widened and politely turned away.

"Huh? What's-" Xander covered Elise's eyes with his hand.

"…I think I'm done," said Hinoka, taking her hands off Camilla.

"I guess I'll put the rest on myself," said Camilla. She took the sunscreen and rubbed it on her legs.

Hinoka stood and stretched. She wondered how Takumi was doing.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Damn it, not again!" cried Takumi. He crossed his arms and turned away from Leo.

"Face it, Takumi, I'm much better at Pokémon than you," said Leo.

"Well, I'm better at Super Smash Bros.!"

"Let's not get into that now," said Leo. "You pineapple."

"I-I am not a pineapple!" Takumi's fooaced flushed.

"Then prove it."

"I'm not a pineapple because…" He noticed Leo's vest. "…my vest isn't inside out."

"D-Damn it! Not again!" Leo flipped his vest the proper way. The side read 'I Only Swim Free'.

Takumi snickered and pointed. Leo pushed him out of the car.

ooooooooooooooooo

Half an hour later, Camilla still hadn't bothered to jump.

"C'mon, just once?" Hinoka played with Camilla's hair. "Even your brother is standing by the edge."

"I'm sorry, Hinoka. I'm just not feeling it right now," said Camilla.

"Are you afraid?"

"Not at all. I just want to relax and lay in the sun, watching you have fun."

"Hrm…I guess if you don't want to go, there's no helping it," said Hinoka. She looked inside Camilla's bag. Inside there were mostly towels, but something plastic at the bottom caught Hinoka's eye. She pulled it out and stared. It was rather long and flat.

"Oh, that's an inner tube," said Camilla.

Hinoka raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you need something like this? Elise seems like she can swim just fine."

"Oh, she can," said Camilla.

"…And so can you. It just seems weird to have this."

Camilla sighed.

"It's not for me or Elise, or even Leo. It's-"

"Woooo!" A child sped past Hinoka, causing her to drop the inner tube. The kid shoved past Xander and jumped.

Xander fell forward and off the edge.

Camilla's eyes widened as she stood.

Ryoma walked over.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"It's Xander! He can't swim!"

Hinoka gasped.

"This isn't good. That spot is about two hundred feet deep…at least he fell from the jutting point."

Ryoma stared, then turned and ran to the cliff's edge, throwing himself off.

"I-Is he going to be alright trying to save him on his own?" asked Camilla.

"Should be. But we'll probably have to help pull him up," said Hinoka. She walked over to the edge and looked down.

Ryoma and Xander didn't emerge immediately. A minute later Ryoma surfaced, Xander limp and hunched over his shoulders. Once he reached the top of the face, Hinoka and Camilla helped him up. He laid Xander on the ground.

"Xander! Are you alright?"

No response.

"He's still breathing! Hold on a moment!" said Ryoma. He put his hands on Xander's chest and pumped. After several pumps, he brought his mouth to Xander's and breathed. He removed his mouth and pumped again.

Xander began to cough out water. He sat and stared around.

"You're okay!" said Elise, embracing her brother. Camilla followed suit.

"Thank you, Ryoma," said Camilla.

Ryoma grinned and nodded.

"Don't worry about it."

Xander looked at Ryoma.

"So it was you who saved me…thank you."

The child who knocked Xander down showed up. Camilla narrowed her eyes at her.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The kid's eyes widened.

"I'm…s-sorry…I didn't mean-"

"Next time, watch where you're going," said Camilla. "If you don't, I will tell your parent."

The kid screamed and ran.

"…I think, perhaps, we should leave now. For Xander's sake," said Camilla.

Hinoka nodded.

* * *

The room was as large as Hinoka expected. It was a generic hotel room, containing a dresser with a TV on top and a fridge below. Instead of two beds, there was a single queen-sized bed.

"There's a decent bathtub in there!" said Camilla, leaving the washroom. She came up behind Hinoka and wrapped her arms around her. "We should bathe together tonight."

Hinoka blushed, the feeling of Camilla's breasts exciting her more than necessary.

"Y-yeah…that might not be a bad idea," said Hinoka. She sighed.

"Sorry again about the Xander thing."

"Please don't worry about it," said Camilla. "We didn't know this would happen and Xander is unharmed. In the future we'll just have to have him keep away from cliffs."

"I-If you're sure…"

Camilla let go and paced around the room, examining the bed. She grinned.

"When did you say we were heading downtown?"

"In about an hour," said Hinoka. "It'll start to get dark then. Trust me, you'd much rather see Tanabata at night."

"Sounds lovely," said Camilla. She gazed at Hinoka with half-lidded eyes. "But in the meantime…let me take your pants off."

"H-Huh?! We can't do that now! We need to get ready!" said Hinoka.

"Oh, don't be mistaken. I'm not going to give you full out sex right now," said Camilla. "I just want to pleasure you a little, that's all."

Hinoka looked into Camilla's eyes. She could read her lust, those dilated pupils filling Hinoka with the same feeling. She sighed.

"Okay. I trust you." Hinoka put her hands on Camilla's shoulders and kissed her.

Camilla kissed back, pulling Hinoka's pants down at the same time. She broke away and took her own pants off.

"I could've done that for you," said Hinoka.

Camilla giggled.

"You can take my underpants off if you wish."

Hinoka slowly removed Camilla's underpants. They were already saturated with her juices.

"W-why are you always so horny?" asked Hinoka.

"Because you're my girlfriend," said Camilla. She removed Hinoka's underpants. "And my girlfriend is still the sexiest woman I know."

"Oh, you…" Hinoka sat on the bed.

Camilla sat on Hinoka's leg, rubbing her wet pussy against it. She pushed Hinoka down and rubbed her hand against her thigh.

Hinoka felt her arousal come on quickly. She moved her hand to Camilla's pussy and inserted a finger.

Camilla let a moan out before speaking.

"Now, Hinoka…did you get tested like you said you would?"

"I did, actually," said Hinoka. "I'm clean."

Camilla took her hand away.

"I'll have you know that I am also clean. I suppose it would be alright to go down on you right this second?"

Hinoka blushed and nodded. She sat and pushed Camilla onto the bed.

Camilla beamed as she slid off the bed, eagerly burying her face in Hinoka's crotch.

Hinoka squealed and squeezed her legs around Camilla's head as she'd done many times before. The bare sensation of Camilla's tongue entering her pussy and moving around inside never failed to enflame her passion.

"Mmph…Camilla…never stop…" A wave of pleasure shot through Hinoka's body as she climaxed. She loosened her legs, freeing Camilla.

Camilla grinned, Hinoka's fluids still around her lips.

"Oh, Hinoka…I love- I love how you react whenever I do that to you."

"W-well…I love how you enjoy doing it," said Hinoka. "Please, come lay up here; it's my turn."

Camilla instantly leapt onto the bed and sat beside Hinoka.

Hinoka got on the floor and slowly spread Camilla's legs. She gazed intently at Camilla's pussy, still absolutely dripping with arousal. Hinoka circled it to for a moment before inserting her tongue.

Camilla climaxed as soon as it entered.

Hinoka laughed as she backed away.

"Am I really that good?"

"Even though I was already heavily aroused, yes," said Camilla. She tilted Hinoka's head and kissed her. "We should probably start to get ready now."

* * *

Vendors lined the streets as Hinoka strolled through, holding Camilla's hand. Performers strummed their _samisen_ and blew their _shakuhachis_ , instrument cases open with money piled inside. Children jumped at the lanterns strung between the buildings, one making a sky-blue lantern with lilac streamers fall. It landed in front of Camilla, who picked it up.

"The streamers are rather nice," said Camilla, letting Hinoka's hand go and letting the streamers slip between her fingers.

"They are," said Hinoka. She stroked Camilla's hair. "They remind me of your hair."

"Is that so?" Camilla put the lantern on her head and giggled. The streamers blended in perfectly.

Takumi walked over and pulled a streamer, causing it to fall.

"…I knew something was wrong with your hair."

Camilla laughed.

"Of course that wasn't my hair. I was just playing."

Leo put his hand on Takumi's shoulder.

"I believe your sister has something for you."

"Huh? What?" Hinoka furrowed her brow, then saw Sakura headed towards Takumi. _Oh, he meant her…_

Sakura held a pineapple up to Takumi.

"Um…I was looking at the fruit and I saw this…it looks like your hair, doesn't it?"

Takumi brought a hand to his forehead.

"S-Sakura! Not you too!"

Leo took the pineapple and put it on Takumi's head.

"Now you and Camilla can match."

"W-Why? What's the purpose of this?" said Takumi.

Camilla laughed.

"Oh Takumi…you're still incredibly cute."

"Ngh! Stop saying that!" said Takumi a blush spreading across his face.

"But of course, your older sister is even cuter."

Hinoka smiled as she took Camilla's hand.

"Let's keep going. There's something I wanna show you."

"Oh, alright. Don't tease Takumi, Leo," said Camilla.

Hinoka led Camilla further down the street, passing several fish shops. Her eyes wandered over one, where Elise was pulling Xander's hand and pointing at a tank. Ryoma was with them.

"That's a tasty looking lobster!" said Elise.

Ryoma picked the lobster out of the tank. It was still living, though its claws were sealed shut with some elastic bands.

"It kind of reminds me of you," said Elise.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Because it's red and brown and big and strong and-"

"Settle down, Elise," said Xander. "Don't fluster Ryoma."

"Aww. Well, I'm naming this lobster Ryoma anyway," said Elise.

Ryoma put a hand to his face. The edges of Xander's mouth rose ever so slightly.

"Oh, look! A tea shop!" said Camilla. She wandered over to a stand and examined the bags hanging from it.

Hinoka stood beside Camilla and eyed the assortment of teas.

"Have you ever had any of these teas before?"

Camilla shook her head.

"No. But I wonder…surely you've had some of these teas before? Which is your favourite?"

Hinoka picked up a cyan bag.

"I'm rather fond of this kind. But it's rather expensive…I really need to get a job soon."

"Then I will buy it for you," said Camilla. "I told you I would make you your favourite tea, right? So allow me."

"No, I can't let you do that!" said Hinoka. "I may be broke but that doesn't mean I haven't got any money."

"I insist! Let me get you it. You can consider it an early birthday present."

Hinoka sighed.

"Fine…thanks."

Camilla bought the tea and handed it to Hinoka. She kissed her cheek.

"You're quite welcome. So, what did you want to show me?"

"Ah!" Hinoka took Camilla's hand. "We have to hurry, or we'll miss it!"

* * *

A massive cedar tree sat in the middle of the square, tags of every colours hanging from its branches. Adults and children alike took several tags and wrote on them, fastening them to the tree.

"Wow…it's so big…and beautiful," said Camilla.

"That it is. But that's not what I wanted to show you." Hinoka pointed at the starless sky.

Camilla stared, then looked at Hinoka.

"I don't understand."

"Just wait a little longer…!" Hinoka pulled out her phone and checked the time. _Almost there…come on…_

A firework shot above the tree, exploding and sending violet sparks across the horizon. Several fireworks of gold, light blue, and dark red came shortly afterwards.

"They're lovely," said Camilla. "Perhaps the only sight lovelier is you, Hinoka."

Hinoka's face reddened as she wrapped her arms around Camilla. She laid the side of her head against Camilla's chest.

"You kind of remind me of a firework, you know."

"Hmm? How so?"

"Well…they're kinda spontaneous. Like that time we first met and you called me a cutie. I wasn't prepared for that at all. And, of course, you trying to be my friend and then asking me out…a-and they're also very, uh…p-pretty."

"You're too kind." Camilla rubbed her hand through Hinoka's hair. "Thank you, Hinoka. May you come up with even cuter things to say in the future."

"Y-yeah. I definitely will. I love you, after all." Hinoka's stomach dropped as soon as the words left her mouth. She could feel Camilla's heartbeat as it rapidly increased in pulse.

Shoving herself away from her, Hinoka covered her face with her hands.

"I-I'm- I'm sorry...i-it just slipped out," said Hinoka. She turned away from Camilla.

Camilla embraced Hinoka and held her close.

"Don't be sorry. I love you too, after all."

"R-really…? I-I'm…so…" Hinoka turned and kissed Camilla, her lips lingering on hers for a minute. She removed them and nestled her head into Camilla's chest again. "Thank you, Camilla."

"…I wanted to tell you earlier today, you know," said Camilla. She kissed the top of Hinoka's head. "After I finished having my way with you…I didn't want to say it in a fit of emotion. I love you, Hinoka. I love you."

"And I love you," said Hinoka.

"Gross," came a male voice.

Hinoka looked over and saw Takumi. Sakura and Leo stood next to him.

Camilla stuck her tongue out.

"You're just jealous because Hinoka and I were able to admit our feelings in a much nicer way than you did, probably."

"Oh, q-quiet!" said Takumi. "A-anyway, we were about to write our wishes down! Have you written yours down, Hinoka?"

"Not yet," said Hinoka.

"Oh, are those what the little tags are for?" asked Camilla.

"Yeah. Let me show you." Hinoka led Camilla to the tree and picked up yellow tag and a marker off the ground. She wrote her wish in Japanese and tied it to a branch.

Camilla grinned as she looked at the tag.

"So, what did you wish for?"

"It's a secret," said Hinoka.

"Not going to tell your lover?" Camilla smiled.

"I'll tell you later," said Hinoka. "Do you want me to write your wish down for you?"

"So you want me to tell you mine, but you won't tell me yours? I'm offended, Hinoka," said Camilla. She winked.

"I-is that a yes?"

"Yes, it is. Listen closely," said Camilla.

Hinoka brought her ear to Camilla's mouth. Camilla whispered.

"I wish Hinoka could be happy for as long as she lives."

Hinoka felt her heart flutter. She kissed Camilla before writing her wish down and tying it.

"Thank you, Camilla…I'm so happy I met you…please take care of me. I know I'll take care of you."

Camilla held Hinoka's hand. They interlocked their fingers as the left the tree.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I wish Leo would stop singing the Spongebob Squarepants opening theme whenever I eat a pineapple," said Takumi.

"And I wish Takumi would just admit he loves it when I do that," said Leo.

"I hate it when you do that!" said Takumi, but not without a laugh. He noticed Hinoka's tag. "Hey, let's check out what gross thing Hinoka probably said."

"Alright then. Can you read it out loud? I still don't understand Japanese very well," said Leo.

"Will do," said Takumi. He touched the tag and read:

"I wish to have a long, prosperous, happy, and loving relationship with Camilla."

* * *

 **FIN**


End file.
